


Dragon Attack

by BohemianBeth



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Everyone Is Gay, M/M, Multi, Plot Twists, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:20:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24117145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BohemianBeth/pseuds/BohemianBeth
Summary: An alien race has taken over the world. These aliens will not stop until they reach their desired goal of annihilating mankind and enslaving a chosen few. Freddie, John, Brian and Roger have managed to survive by hiding in an abandoned owl observatory deep in the woods. They just want to keep themselves alive, but how long can their luck last?Maylor/Deacury
Relationships: Brian May/Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor, John Deacon/Freddie Mercury, Mary Austin/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 22
Kudos: 23





	1. The Earth is old and Grey

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for writing ANOTHER story but as Roger Taylor would say: i'M rEaLLy eXciTEd aBoUt this one! Unlike some of my other abandoned works I think I might actually commit to it and make it a summer project because I have nothing to do all summer long. If you liked Misfits and Rebels of Rhye you'll probably like this one. It's kind of a combination of both of them: Queen in a science fiction alien apocalypse but with fantasy and magical twists. Of course it's Deacury and Maylor. So no hate and don't get offended it's all FICTIONAL as usual. I love love love Queen but please don't send this to Brian or Roger or anyone who wouldn't enjoy this and would find it creepy. Typical fanfiction disclaimer. I should know better than to write all these stories about real people but fortunately for my Queenies out there reading this, I don't know better so let's begin...

_John's POV_

Day 739.

I believe I'm the only one keeping track of the number of days that have passed since the "incident" occured. Everyone else seems to have just accepted that this is our new reality and there is no going back. It does feel like I've maintained two different lives: the life before and the life now. Both are polar opposites with one being mundane and typical and the other horrific and bleak. The only thing I like about my life now is the people I'm with. I keep good company in this current world, but I'd still give everything to go back to the old time and see my real family again. I sighed, lost in thought, knowing full well there was no hope. These boys were my family now. I'd probably never see Mom, Dad and Julie ever again. Loss was commonplace now that the sleaze had taken over. Freddie called them that, and the name seemed to stick. We were still unsure of the proper name of these creatures that took it upon themselves to destroy the human race and all inhabitants on this earth. The twinkling stars up in the vast black canvas above me were slowly fading as peaks of sunlight slowly glistened through the dark night sky. Soon it would be dawn. I clung to my tattered stuffed bunny, Cinabon, the only reminiscent of a childhood long abandoned much like human civilization itself. Cinabon's floppy left ear was torn and the stuffing was coming out. Freddie promised to resew and restuff him someday, but supplies were difficult to come across in the apocalypse and keeping ourselves alive seemed like a more important priority than surgically repairing an old toy.

 _"Before I became a musical prostitute, my dear, my first job was working at a Build A Bear workshop at the mall. Both Kash and I worked there for a summer."_ I recalled Freddie telling me one chilly evening in between a lullaby to help me fall asleep. The four of us rarely spoke of our pasts. It was just too sad. Sometimes I asked myself if we would have found each other and formed a friendship like this had everything stayed the same. For now that the Earth was old and grey, all we had left was each other. We could only move forwards, never backwards.

I was taken out of my thoughts by the sound of Roger's teeth chattering as he shivered beneath several thick blankets. This was unusual because it was a warm summer night. His pink face was flushed like he had run a marathon and profuse sweat dripped beneath his beautiful golden tresses. He had fallen ill several days ago and we were all deadly worried about him. I knew eventually one of us would have to venture out of our little sanctuary to retrieve medicine for him. I touched the back of Roger's neck and found it scolding hot to the touch. This couldn't go on much longer. Somebody had to save our dear friend or we could lose him.

Over the past two years we had spent in these close quarters of the abandoned owl observatory, we had gotten sick here and there. Only it was nothing more than a mild tickle in the throat and sniffle in the nose. Nothing like Roger's burning fever that left him incapicated for hours on end. Before now our biggest health concern besides the threat of hunger were those dark nights where the stars and moon weren't visible plunging Brian into spouts of depression and lethargy. Well that was a nice way to put it, but Freddie just referred to him in these states as "a moody bitch getting his period".

Anyway the point is Roger was seriously sick. It was scary to watch him slowly deteriorate with no method to stop the progression of the unknown ailment. Nobody wanted our best friend to die. My heart would break to shreds if I never saw those big blues again and heard one of his snarky comebacks or dirty jokes. We needed our Roger. We needed all four of us to cling together.

"Clare..." Roger slurred almost inaudibly. "...find Clare."

"Shh. Rog, it's alright. Soon your fever will break." I whispered. I could only pray it would break soon. He was probably having vivid hallucinations about his lost sister. "D-Don't let them take Clare!" He grunted in a weak, disjointed voice.

"One day you'll find Clare, and you two will be reunited." It was a promise I couldn't make. Roger was out of it, so I could give him this false high hope to help him through the night. "And I'll introduce her to Julie." I fantasized. "Then they'll become best friends with Kashmira. We'll all live together, all of our families in the same neighborhood. Me, you, Fred, and Bri, living an ordinary life. One where we can be in peace and happiness. Maybe we could even start a rock band just like we always dreamed of. Wouldn't that be nice, Rog? Hmm?"

He hummed something in response but continued to shiver like we were in the freezing tundra. The high tech panel used to monitor the owls' habitat told me that it was a warm 25 degrees celsius in the loft and even hotter outside.

"S-Sing...like Mom used to...P-Please Clare. I-I need to hear your voice." Roger garbled. He knew very well I couldn't sing. Maybe I could wake up Brian or Freddie? "P-please, Clare..." There was such a childlike tone in his high rasps. I would have to be heartless to deny his request. I cleared my throat.

_"Ooh, you make me live_

_Whatever this world can give to me_

_It's you you're all I see_

_Ooh, you make me live now honey_

_Ooh, you make me live_

_Oh, you're the best friend that I ever had_

_I've been with you such a long time_

_You're my sunshine and I want you to know_

_That my feelings are true..."_

_"...I really love you."_ A much richer voice finished the verse for me, the powerful sound echoing across the loft. Despite being groggy from just waking up, Freddie still sounded beautiful as always. He was so very beautiful...I mean he had such a beautiful voice. Yes, that's what I said. I mean he's a good looking man with mysterious black eyes warm as honey and a distinct sharp jawline and smooth caramel skin, but all that aside that doesn't make me attracted to him. Besides, he would never ever love me back. Did I say love? I meant like. Yeah. He would never like me back. Love was out of the question. Who said anything about love anyway?

"How's he doing today?" Freddie asked. My heart skipped a beat when our hands touched as we both reached to pull up Roger's blanket at the same time. I casted my eyes downard and tried to hide my blush. "I'll um go get him some water." Freddie stepped away from me in an almost timid manner. Great, I made him uncomfortable. "You stay here with him, Deaky, darling. Brian should be up soon to help."

"You got it." I replied.

I knew Freddie would be gone for a while. Getting water in this age was much more difficult than simply collecting it from the tap. Brian cited dehydration as the most likely thing to kill us, and he seemed to know everything about everything. Luckily though the two of us were able to build an irrigation and welling system reliant on both rainwater and the fresh spring located not too far from the observatory. Yeah, we often joked about how lost Freddie and Roger would be without the curly brains of the group. So now getting water was just a matter of traveling to the well and back. We could only take a little bit of water at a time because it wasn't unlimited, but it was better than nothing at all. It had sustained us for over two years now, so it was enough.

"I-I..don't wanna die." Roger croaked in a clear amount of pain that could have easily been reduced with the proper medicine. "D-Don't let me die...Please...Please d-don't l-let me die."

The wellwater Freddie was gathering would help, but for now it seemed like Roger was getting enough from the tears that spilled down my cheeks. I hated seeing my best friend like this. It was the worst thing in the world.

Roger was the closest to me in age, being only 2 years my senior. He was in his senior year of high school when the incident occured. If life had carried on normally, he would likely be in university right now studying dentistry. Now he was in the middle of the woods lying on a wooden loft made for owls struggling to stay alive. "You'll be fine Roger." I sobbed, lying to both him and myself. "Brian's birthday is coming up and then yours after that. You wouldn't want to ruin the party by dying on us, now would you?" It was a dark joke he'd appreciate if he were of more sound mind. Maybe he and Freddie were rubbing off on me.

"I-I can't die...No...I never got a chance to tell Bri..." Roger trailed off, shutting his eyes again and breathing deeply.

"Tell Bri what?" I pressed trying desperately to keep him occupied and awake despite the agony he was in.

"Tell Bri...that...that...I love h-him."

"Aww." I cooed. "Bri knows. We all love you, Roger. You're our brother. So you don't need to tell him. We already know how you feel about all of us, Brian included. And we feel the same way."

Roger tried to say something else but his words got jumbled. It was something about Brian but I couldn't make it out. "Shh. It's alright. Just rest." I whispered.

I knew what I had to do if I wanted Roger to live. It was a foolish decision, but if I succeeded I'd be saving his life. There was no price worthy of the life of a loved one even if I have to risk my own. I made my way downstairs to the sealed door of the observatory, protecting us from the horrors that lurked outside. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. Traveling through the woods was frightening, but a common activity for us. What I was doing, on the other hand, could prove to be fatal.

"Going out for some fresh air, John?" I jumped when I heard a soft voice from behind me. Brian had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Maybe it was just my nerves. "Y-Yeah no, I'm uh going to get water from the well for Roger." I lied. "You should go see him. He was asking about you."

"Alright. Just remember to never let you guard down even in the woods. The other day I saw a female sleaze fly by overhead. They do come out here sometimes." Brian warned.

Seeing a sleaze or a cyborg out this deep in the woods was a rare occurrence. That was how we were able to survive here for so long. However, the sleaze and their threatening killer cyborgs populated the urban areas and anywhere where there could be a sign of life. The small town north of here where I was heading was a perfect example of where you might run into some trouble. Was I crazy? _'I'm doing this for Roger.'_ I told myself.

"I'll be back soon." I called. Brian seemed preoccupied with Roger so I was able to remove the protective seal barricading the door and then unlock it without drawing much attention to myself. The seal was already utilized to ensure none of the owls flew away, but Brian and I installed the additional lock and security system that would only respond to our fingerprints punching in the secret code 0039. Now the door was locked and the seal was reapplied, so anyone in the observatory would be safe. It was the people like me, who dared to step outside, that were in danger.

***

I knew it was noon because the bright sun was high in the clear blue sky. This was my first time leaving the woods since the incident. I knew everything would be left quiet and abandoned like a horror movie with the exception of a few sleazes and cyborgs prowling and roaming here and there. Yet, I didn't realize it would be the stillness that bothered me the most. Everything was just so dead. No cars driving down the street, no children skipping down the sidewalks, no bikers ringing their bells. There weren't any movements apart from the occasional rustling of the leaves of the trees from the wind. Thick, unsettling silence encircled me broken only by the sound of my own breathing. I really didn't like this. Wandering past the empty streets looking out into the weeds that had overtaken the yards and moss growing on shuttered houses left me uneasy. Eventually though I reached the boarded up pharmacy, and knowing I was one step closer to reaching my goal helped take the foreboding feeling away.

I thought I could easily punch my way through the wood and shatter the window. "Fuck!" I was never one to curse, but I was completely alone and I had good reason. My hand was bleeding from the impact against the glass and the wood. It stung really bad and I hissed in pain. Hopefully I didn't break anything. Using my other hand I reached inside the small hole I had made to turn the door knob and entered the darkened store allowing my eyes to adjust to the lack of light.

Most of the shelves were empty as to be expected. I was able to snatch a Dora the Explorer beach towel that was one of the few things left behind on the barren shelves. Even though it was cumbersome I used it to wrap around my wounded hand. That would have to do for now. Slowly I made my way to the desk in the back to the store where they usually kept all of the medication. Before I could get there I tripped over something thankfully managing to catch myself before I could fall. There was a forgotten piece of jewelry laying there on the floor. I picked it up curiously. It was an intricate silver locket shaped like a heart. This was much too lovely to be sold at a cheap pharmacy store. Someone must have dropped it. The locket opened up and inside the words: _Love of my Life_ were inscribed in perfect cursive penmanship.

Suddenly a sound that disrupted the silence out of nowhere nearly gave me a sheer heart attack. It was a fluttering noise...like that of wings. Oh no! In a panic I pocketed the necklace and dove behind an empty display that was supposed to be filled with pepsis. From my position crouched behind the cardboard I could still see the sleaze enter the store.

She looked like any ordinary young woman with long stringy blonde hair wearing casual black sundress with red high heel shoes. If I had to guess I would say she was around my age, maybe a year older. The only thing that made her stand out were the pearly white wings protruding from slits in the back of her dress. Her wings matched the pearly white antennae rising out of her forehead like snail eyes. From what we observed, the female sleazes resembled butterflies whereas the males looked more like dragons. Brian theorized that aliens' DNA was mostly humanoid but also contained links with poisonous swallowtails and a species of lizard that had evolved from pterodactyls. I wasn't sure how his speculation was so precise, but I believed it.

The winged woman slowly meandered through the mazes of shelves in the store and I stayed put, praying she couldn't sense my heartbeat. If she found me, my fate would be sealed. I'd either be killed or enslaved. I was lucky that it was a sleaze and not one of their cyborgs. The sleek metal robots stood at over six feet tall and would open fire at just about anything that moved with dead accuracy unless programmed otherwise. They were ruthless and had no shred of humanity in their cold heartless bodies.

As the sleaze got closer I could feel the grasps of impending doom stabbing me like shards of glass. I tried my best not to make a sound as I trembled, biting back tears. This was it! She was going to see me. I silently prayed. Freddie, Brian, and Roger would be on their own, and Roger wouldn't get the medicine in time.

Then I noticed the bottle of coke that had rolled in the grimy space between the shelf and the floor. I only had one chance. As discreetly as I could, I reached for it. Seconds before the winged woman could reach my hiding spot, I threw the bottle as hard as I could in the other direction. Sure enough, her antennae perked up and she turned that way. That gave me just enough time to scramble away managing to cower behind the counter. This was a much better hiding spot. I waited with baited breath. The woman continued to roam the store reminding me of a stormtrooper in stilettos. Her blue eyes were fixating on the floor. Was she looking for something? Perhaps this locket belonged to her. ' _Please don't come back this way.'_ I silently thought. As if my prayers were answered, the alien shook her head in a disgruntled manner and flew out the door.

"Fuck!" I finally breathed. Two f-bombs in one day. Was I going slightly mad? I took some time to compose myself before remembering why I was here. Roger! I literally had to climb over the counter to get to the over the counter medicine. "Sorry." I spoke to the invisible pharmacist as I grabbed pain medications and fever breaks. "If I had money I'd paid for it." My parents raised me to never steal, so I felt the need to apologize even if there was no one here.

I hurried back to the observatory as quickly and stealthily as I could, thankfully not having any more encounters with the sleaze.


	2. Get Down Make Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie finds himself in harm's way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ships are still Deacury and Maylor but I decided to put in a bit of Froger too.

_Freddie's POV_

How do I stay stylish in the apocalypse one might ask? I sew of course.Stitch by stitch I create the most fashionable outfits. Oh and also blankets and toilet paper. Those things are quite helpful too. Who knew toilet paper would be such a hot commodity when the world erupted into chaos?

The other three would call me slightly mad and even suicidal when I ventured back out into civilization to gather supplies at least once every two or three weeks as needed. Then of course they'd thank me profusely when our tummies were well fed and we were able to keep warm and comfortable. Honestly, I have to do almost everything around here. It's always: Freddie, go grind the amaranth; Freddie, go collect berries but not the poisonous kind; Freddie, go kill that spider for us; Freddie, go get us water from the well.

And that's where I was now tasked with yet another chore. Although this time I volunteered to go to the well. If I had stayed in that observatory with Deaky so close to me any longer, the underlying sexual tension would have made me reveal my secret.

Number one rule of the apocalypse: don't fall in love with your survival mates. It was a little too late for that. The adorable Deaky bean had me wrapped around his little finger and at his beck and call. All he needed to do was say the word, and I would gladly be his slave and kneel down by his side and pray all day long. If things were different I'd love John till his dying day, and I wouldn't keep that unrequited love a secret. Although I'm not sure how we would have met if things were different.

In fact I doubt I would have crossed paths with any one in my new family. In what capacity would an immigrant strip artist ever interact with the world's sweetest electrical engineer, a charming dentist, and a brilliant astrophysicist? Granted, my three talented companions hadn't reached these milestones before the invasion of the sleaze as they were still in school, but they all had bright futures ahead of themselves regardless. I just wasn't sure how I figured into their successful lives. So maybe this was a twisted kind of fate that put us together.

When the sleaze officially invaded, it was both the best and worst day of my life.For many, the end of all days came as a total shock. The sleaze gave them no warning and took them by surprise. However, this wasn't the case with me. While I didn't expect the entire world society to crumble in a mere matter of days, I was well aware of the alien fiends and their ultimate goal to destroy mankind and reclaim the earth as their own.Of course if I tried to warn anyone about the existence of aliens, I'd be locked away in a padded cell.

I smiled fondly to myself at one of the last memories I had of my father when I told him about Mary. His response was rather predictable.

_"You change your name, paint your finger nails black, and disappear in late hours of the night. Now you're telling me about aliens from outer space. Are you out of your mind, Farrokh? I cannot have my only son behaving like a drug addict!"_

Papa was not the warmest man, but I knew he loved me dearly and only wanted what was best for me. I never blamed him for being skeptical. I would have a hard time believing in extraterrestrials myself if I hadn't been unknowingly in love with one.

I had a feeling Mama believed me, but my credibility had been destroyed. Nothing could have been more embarrassing than the time my ex-boss and certified creep Paul Prenter showed up at our door late one evening demanding I turn in for a shift that wasn't even mine. What a fantastic way to learn that your beloved beta has a job wiggling his ass in front of a pole while strangers groped him and flung cash at him. I was the most popular stripper at the BeelzebubNight Club. That was not something I'd proudly share with my parents or present on my resume.

Up until then my parents bought the lie that I worked loading and unloading luggages at the airport.Well, it wasn't a lie at first. I did work at the airport for about two weeks. Then I discovered that one of the fellow airport workers was rather fond of staring at my glorious behind while I bent over to pick up the luggages. He recommended I get a job at Beelzebub. While I knew I was going to hell for it, shedding my clothes and pole dancing was much for fulfilling and entertaining. Plus I was making nearly three times the amount of money had I stayed at the airport.Paul even let me strip to all the songs I've written although my recordings were shitty and bootlegged because I didn't have a studio or record backing. Technically Paul owns the rights to my music, but he's all dead and gone now so I don't think it matters anymore. Nothing really matters. Anyone can see. Nothing really matters to me.

My life before was finished. Now my purpose was to help protect my three brothers and ensure that this hell we were embracing was as comfortable as we could manage. That meant not letting myself fall in love with Deaky and not dwelling in the past.

Although I could relive the moment of the cyborg blowing Paul Prenter to smithereens over and over again. That was what made all of this worth while and why I considered it the best and worst day ever. No, no. That was wrong of me to take glee in someone's death. Even if that person was as dreadful as Prenter. I'm sure deep in his heart (or lack there of) he had some redeemable qualities. I just couldn't find any.

 _"Get down make love..."_ I hummed softly to myself as I carried the bucket back to the observatory. It had been far too long since I last had sex.

Roger and I had a bit of an unconventional arrangement going to fulfill our urges. It was strictly platonic, but whenever we felt horny we would secretly make love late at night when John and Brian were sleeping. Roger had some strange requests but I had clients from the strip club with all sorts of kinks, so I didn't think anything of it. I was open to requests but they cost extra, but in this case I was doing this for free. Roger was a friend not a client. "If we do it, we do it in complete darkness, and I want you to wear a mop on your head." Roger instructed. "Oh and can you stretch out as tall as you can while we're doing it so you seem taller?"

I was fulfilling some sort of fantasy for Roger, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He wanted me tall and curly evidently. Hmm... Well I was more than happy to help out a friend. The favor worked both ways because he quenched my desires as well. Life as a sex addict is never easy.

Now Roger had to go and ruin everything by falling deathly ill. So I was back to being a horn dog hopelessly in love with John Richard Deacon and unable to do anything about it. No, that wasn’t right. I was a horn cat, not a horn dog. And I could never blame Roger for breaking everybody’s hearts by coming down with this affliction by no fault of his own.

If I dwelled on it too much I would cry. Why did this have to happen to our dear Roggie? His condition was deteriorating faster than we could handle. A few days ago we could take him out to the stream to cool down his body and possibly break the fever. Now he was too weak to move from his bed. We all feared the worst but were trying our best to deny an oncoming loss. It would just be too heartbreaking for any of us. I knew the threat of death was very real in this world overtaken by the sleaze but in mind I saw the four of us forever. Nothing could separate us for we had created such a strong bond over these last two years.

When I returned to the observatory with the water, I found Brian comforting Roger. The two were spooning beneath the assortment of blankets to keep poor Roger warm. “I miss my car.” Roger’s teeth chattered as he spoke and his eyes looked far away and lost. We were losing him.

“Roger, darling, I brought you some water.” I announced bringing the bucket.

“Wasn’t John doing that?” Brian asked.

“No, no, no. I would never send that baby out on his own. I told him to stay here with Rog.” I replied.

“Really?” Brian asked skeptically. “Because John went out earlier and said he was getting water from the well.”

Maybe Deaky got worried because I was gone too long and decided to come after me? I laughed it off nervously, playing it off as Brian being absent minded. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling. Deaky knows the rules. He only leaves the observatory if one of us goes with him.”

“That’s not a real rule, Fred. It’s one you made up. I know it’s dangerous out there, but it’s unfair to Deaky if we’re allowed to leave and he’s not. We love to look after him because he’s the youngest and most vulnerable, but we have to face that he’s not a boy anymore. He’ll be 19 years old next month.” Brian pointed out.

“Will I live to see 21?” Roger slurred. His birthday was a mere 2 weeks away, but I wasn’t sure how much longer he’d last like this. “Shh. Don’t ask such silly questions, darling. Of course you’ll be here with us and we’ll have a big celebration combined with Bri’s 23rd. There’ll be music and dancing and drinking and--DEAKY!”

The little angel stumbled into the observatory clutching an oversized towel wrapped around his hand as he lugged boxes and bottles in the other. Medicine? Where did he get medicine? And what happened to his hand?

“I did it!” John squeaked with a shy smile dumping the medicines onto the table. “I got medicine for Roger. Now he doesn’t have to be in so much pain and we might be able to lower his fever.”

Brian’s smile lit up the room as I tried to comprehend how Deaky could have managed this feat. I couldn’t wrap my head around John venturing out into the woods and then traveling north to the town. The pharmacy where he likely got this stuff was typically swarming with sleazes and cyborgs. It was the one place to avoid above everywhere else. They knew eventually a human in need of medicine and supplies would seek this route, so that was where they typically prowled. Otherwise I would have gotten Roger the medicine myself the last time I was out on a supply run.

“Did you hear that, Rog? John got you medicine. You’re gonna be okay. Just hang in there a little while longer.” Brian exclaimed.

“Bri...I...I..” Roger slurred incoherently, “I want to tell you that I…”

“--Did anyone follow you back here?” I demanded of Deaky, the thought popping into my head as Roger searched for whatever it was he was trying to say. I doubt it was as important as our safety. What if Mary found me? Brian claimed he saw a female sleaze flying by overheard the other day. No! I couldn’t let her take me. Oh and the harm she’d do to my loved ones in order to get to me. It made me sick to my stomach.

“Um, I don’t think anybody followed me. Nobody was there.” John replied. He slowly unwrapped the towel around his hand and I nearly screamed. “Deaky, you’re bleeding!” No! No! Poor baby. “How the hell did this happen? Are you okay? Why did you leave? I told you to stay here.”

“Freddie, calm down, you big baby. I’m alright. Perfectly fine. I had to break the glass to get into the pharmacy, but I’m sure it’ll heal.” Deaky said calmly. “I’ll go wash it off in the spring.”

“NO!” I screamed stepping in front of him. “You are not going anywhere, darling. What if you were seen by one of them? What if a cyborg shot you down? Do you have any idea what that would do to me?”

“B-But I had to save Roger.” Deaky looked down at his feet, his lower lip trembling like he was about to cry. Poor thing. Why did I have to be so harsh? All he wanted was to help our dying friend. I couldn’t blame him for that.

“It’s alright, dear. I didn’t mean to yell. I just can’t lose you. You mean too much to me.” I put my arm around him. “Come, now, darling, we’ll go to the stream together to wash it off. I don’t want you wandering off on your own again. Okay? You’re very lucky that nothing happened this time.” 

“I’ll administer the medicine while you’re gone.” Brian announced. “And be a little nicer to him, Freddie. He may have just saved Roger’s life. I was praying for a miracle and Deaky pulled through. We should reward him, not punish him.”

“Thanks Bri.” John murmured.

Only I wasn’t sure Brian could hear him because he had turned his attention back to Roger and was lost in his own little world. Brian held Roger and stroked his blonde locks.

_“You might believe in heaven_

_I would not care to say_

_For every star in heaven_

_There's a sad soul here today_

_Wake up in the morning with a good face_

_Stare at the moon all day_

_Lonely as a whisper on a star chase_

_Does anyone care anyway_

_For all the prayers in heaven_

_So much of life's this way…”_

Brian sang to him softly as Roger’s eyes began to flutter shut. For the first time in a while Roger’s chapped pink lips crept into a small smile and he appeared content.

***

“So are you sure you didn’t run into any trouble?” I asked again as Deaky rolled up his sleeve and doused his wounded hand in the water. “You didn’t bump into a sleaze, right?”

John suddenly stiffened. “Well…” He pursed his lips timidly. What the hell did that mean? “Did you have an encounter with a sleaze?” I cried.

“I-I don’t think she saw me.” Deaky answered eventually.

She? Oh shit! This couldn’t be happening. Not now. I was so careful all this time. Oh God! What if she tried to hurt John? My precious baby was innocent. How dare that bitch lay a hand on him!

“Hey!” Deaky splashed some water in my face. “I’m fine. See? Right here. All in one piece. Didn’t get caught. Mission accomplished! There’s no need to worry about me.”

“There’s always need to worry about you, darling. You mean everything and more to me.” I realized that I had said too much. My crush was too obvious. Loving Deaky would only get both of us hurt.

“Freddie, I’m alright. Really. I am. But I think it’s really sweet that you care about me so much.” He cooed in the most adorable way possible. Those unique green grey eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. I fought every urge in me to just grab him and passionately kiss him. The thought of him so close to danger at the hands of a sleaze nearly brought tears to my eyes. “You’re sure you’re alright?” I asked.

“Positive.” Deaky replied. “How can I not be? I have you after all.” He giggled. Ugh! His sweetness would be the death of me and rot me like a cavity. Why couldn’t I just tell him how I felt?

No, it was too risky. It was not a good idea to get too attached to anyone right now. Look what was happening to Roger. Besides, in the unlikelihood that John had mutual feelings for me, Mary could use that to her advantage. The last thing I wanted was my innocent love getting caught in the crosshairs of my monstrous affair.

“I found something on the floor of the pharmacy. I thought maybe you should have it.” Deaky reached into his pocket and retrieved a small silver heart shaped locket. I gasped. No! It couldn’t be…

“It’s pretty isn’t it? I think the sleaze girl lost it and was looking for it. She left when she couldn’t find it. No harm done.” John casually drawled.

I plucked the locket out of his hands and examined it. I prayed I was wrong, but there was only one way to find out. Sure enough the words _Love of my Life_ were written inside. Without any hesitation I flung the locket into the water watching it sink like that old lady from that movie that wasn’t really my scene. I’m not a fan of films about boats and the ocean and I disliked Star Wars as well.

“What the hell, Freddie?” Deaky cried. “I thought you would like that locket. You usually love shiny things like glitter.”

“No, Deaky, you don’t understand. She could have put a tracking device in that locket.” I tried to explain the possible grave danger we were in right now.

“Look, if you just don’t like me you can tell me. I’m sorry.” John sighed.

What? “No, darling. Who gave you that daft idea. You’re so precious. I cherish our time together. You’re one of the few good things to come out of this mess with the sleazes. I don’t know how I’d be able to cope without you.”

“Really?” Deaky perked up. “‘Cause um…I feel the same way.” He looked up at me with such adoring puppy eyes and there was the faintest flush on his cheeks. No, I couldn’t let myself get swept up in the tides of love.

“Yeah you Bri and Rog make all this shit bearable.” I shifted back to feelings of friendship. That was all I could have of Deaky and I would take what I could get. Why did he look disappointed? Did he like me back after all? My heart skipped a beat. Wait no. I couldn’t have John falling for me. Not when Mary was lurking with her locket ready to do anything to get to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she even planted the locket for John to pick up and find leading her right to me.

“I think you’ve washed up your wound enough. We should get back to the observatory and see how Roger is doing.” I instructed.

As John turned away from the water, my heart stopped dead in my chest. In the distance I could make out the distinct metallic body of a cyborg rushing toward us. I knew if I didn’t act fast I’d regret it. “Hold your breath, darling.” I warned and pushed Deaky down into the stream.

The robot arrived to just see me as Deaky had fallen into the water. It was a sleek grey machine with menacing red eyes and a left hand that formed into some type of gun. I braced myself to be obliterated or vaporized or something very painful. Much to my surprise the weapon only launched a small dart. I tried to dodge it but I wasn’t quick enough. It landed in my neck. My world spun and I soon found myself passed out on the grassy ground.

***

_Mary Austin. She immediately caught my attention with her pretty smile and stylish clothes. I was browsing the racks at Biba which I could now afford thanks to my new job at Beelzebub. I preferred the company of men, but sometimes women frequented the strip club and requested a private experience with the popular Mr. Farenheit. Sex was more of a hobby to me, so I wouldn’t say no. Besides I was getting paid so I could shop at high end retailers like Biba._

_Mary caught me staring at her coat and walked over toward me. I pretended to be caught up in choosing a pair of slacks. “Dear, tell me, which do you like better, the blue or the black?” I asked nonchalantly. My God that coat was lovely and the hat she was wearing was cute as well._

_“The black.” She decided. “Would you like to try them on?”_

_“Um…” I couldn’t look away from her clothes. But I didn’t want to look like a creep. “I really like your coat, dear. Did you get it here?”_

_“Yes. I got a discount because I work here. They have really nice coats and hats. Let me show you.” I followed her to the coat rack. “Now these are for women, but I really don’t think it matters. My name is Mary by the way. What’s your name?”_

_“Freddie.”_

_“Well I’m glad I can help you find what you’re looking for, Freddie.” She said flirtatiously. “Here, I’ll unlock the dressing room for you.”_

_“Thank you, dear. Can you tell me more about that discount of yours? Does it apply to friends and family as well?” It couldn’t hurt to flirt back to get what I wanted. Right?_

_In a matter of weeks we were dating. Mama kept asking when I would bring home a nice girl, and I fancied Mary fine enough. I figured it wouldn’t be so bad to get my parents off my ass so long as we didn’t get too serious. Kashmira was shocked to discover that I was dating a girl. Somehow she knew I was gay. What a clever thing. I explained to Mama and Papa that the reason I hadn’t brought Mary home was because she wasn’t Parsi and I thought that would disappoint them. That sounded like a good enough excuse. Much to my surprise, Mama and Papa treated her very warmly and told her she was always welcomed in our home. I realized I was digging myself into a hole, but I continued to be with Mary, afraid that I’d hurt her feelings if I told her the truth. I was starting to fall in love with her, but I knew it wouldn’t work because she physically couldn’t keep me satisfied. The more entangled I got with Mary the more difficult it was to face the truth._

_“I wrote you a love song, darling.” I sat her down by the piano one chilly evening as we sipped on hot cocoa. Mary was wearing a headband that went all the way around and also functioned as ear muffs. I admired her style so much, but we were indoors now it was inconvenient. “Dear, can you take that off please? I want you to hear this.”_

_“I can hear fine, Freddie. The fabric is very thin.” She dismissed. “Now please play me this love song of yours.”_

_“It’s called Love of my Life.” I began to play the chords and sing hoping she wouldn’t notice that this was a breakup song. It was my message to her of how much giving my heart knowing I wasn’t being faithful hurt me._

_“Oh Freddie, that was so beautiful!” Mary was moved to tears. She gave me a big kiss. “I just can’t get enough of your voice. How do you sing like that? What’s your secret?”_

_I shrugged. “I guess I can do it because I was born with four extra incisors in the back of my mouth. More room for range.” ‘And sucking dick’ I thought, but Mary did not have to know that._

_“You are so talented.” Mary kissed me. “I hope you pass on all of your creative genes to our children.”_

_I spit out my cocoa. “Children? What children?” Oh God! Mary wanted to have kids with me? But I was simultaneously cheating on her with my clients. I could barely commit to her, let alone a family. I was too young to be a dad. I had so much more I wanted to do before settling down and being forced to change diapers and watch Barney all day long._

_“Our future children, silly...not too distant future I hope.” She giggled. “Oh I can just see them now. They’ll be so beautiful, just like you.”_

_Months went by and we continued to date. Papa told me I would have to propose eventually. Mama was eager to have grandchildren. The Bulsara family name had to be carried on even though I went by Mercury now. So I was certainly under pressure. I just didn’t know what to do. If I married Mary I’d be miserable, but I didn’t want to let her or my family down._

_So I tested out a possible engagement by presenting her with a locket instead of a ring. It was a beautiful silver heart shaped locket with the words Love of my Life engraved inside. I gifted it to her on Valentine's Day._

_“Oh Freddie it’s beautiful.” Mary put the necklace on and it looked so perfect dangling from her dainty neck like it belonged there. “I love you.” She purred, pushing me playfully back onto the bed. “I love you too.” I replied, kissing her tenderly. As things got more aggressive, I reached into the bedside drawer to retrieve a condom. One of the many things I liked about gay sex was not having to worry about impregnating anyone. Sex was always better without condoms, but I did not want a baby._

_“Oh do you have to use that damn thing? It ruins the mood when you put it on. Just pull out. It’ll be fine.” Mary protested. “It’s worth the risk.”_

_“Darling, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I told her. ‘If you were a man we could have more fun.’ I thought wistfully. I shook the thought away. I was going to be responsible this time. “Now is just not the right time for a baby.”_

_“Fine.” Mary sighed. “But eventually we will, right?”_

_“We’re not even married yet.” I pointed out._

_“Ohmygod! Did you just propose? Freddie, yes! Yes!” She squealed. Fuck! No! How could she construe that for a proposal? If I were going to propose I’d do it properly. I’d get down on one knee and give her a ring. I wouldn’t just haphazardly ask her during the middle of an argument. How unromantic would that be, especially coming from a good old fashioned lover boy like myself._

_“We’re engaged!” Mary exclaimed. Shit! “I’m so excited! I can’t wait to start planning the wedding. Ooh. We should tell your parents.” She spoked a mile a minute. “Jer and Bomi will be so proud. I’m going to call them now.”_

_“What? No! Don’t--” Before I could stop her she already was on the phone. This wasn’t good. I tried to take the phone away from her, but she quickly got up from the bed._

_“--Hi Kash, are your parents there? Guess what? FREDDIE PROPOSED!”_

_Fuck! Now that my family was involved I was going to have to go through with this disastrous wedding that I didn’t even want. There was no way my parents would ever let me back out at this point._

_“Come on, Freddie!” Mary proclaimed. “Let’s get down make love!”_

_Why did I have to love sex so much? “Yes, dear, let’s do it.” I agreed but I was never one to turn down such an offer. There was no way out of this engagement anyway so I might as well enjoy myself._

_Mary had an odd style of making love, but I had experience in all kinds of kinks from my life as a musical prostitute. She required that I stay blindfolded which was more common than you’d believe. If I wanted her fully naked, then I wasn’t allowed to touch her otherwise she’d always have a shirt on. Since I couldn’t see her naked body anyway I usually opted to have my hands free. Tonight Mary was more aggressive and tied my hands which meant she’d be taking off all of her clothes. We rocked together so roughly that my blindfold slipped._

_“W-What the hell?” Okay,this was a new kink. Mary had on a fake pair of antennae like a bug. “Is this why you blindfold me, dear? There’s no shame in cosplaying as Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy. I’ve heard of stranger kinks…” Then I noticed the matching pair of wings protruding from her back. “Umm...I don’t remember her having wings in the movie. Does she have them in the comics?”_

_“You weren’t supposed to find out this way, Freddie.” Mary said her eyes flashing with something dark._

_“Like I said, no shame. I’ve seen all the kinks.” I assured her. “Your secret is safe with me, darling.”_

_Mary slapped me, her nails leaving a stinging mark like cat claws. Were they always that sharp? How did I not notice that? In fact Mary’s teeth looked much sharper than I recalled as well. Almost like fangs. I guess that one I excused because I was never one to judge another’s teeth. “It’s not a kink, you moron!” She hissed._

_Then the puzzle pieces all came together. The way Mary loved such trendy coats and was always wearing some sort of hat or head scarf. Holy shit! I was engaged to a monster. “What the fuck are you?” I screamed._

_Mary said the name of her species but I was too freaked out to take in the alien word. This simply had to be a bad dream. Or maybe I was hallucinating. Drugs weren’t out of the question in my profession. Maybe that fucker Prenter had spiked my drink when I wasn’t looking._

_“You’ll become very familiar with our kind in the years to come.” Mary said with a sadistic smile. “So now you’re just ahead of the pack.”_

_“And what the fuck do you want with me?” I cried._

_“Humans are such idiots.” She shook her head. “Isn’t it obvious? I want your sperm. I need you to fill me up with the desire to carry on.”_

_“Why would you want a human to impregnate you?” I questioned. “You seem to hate us.”_

_“Well yes the plan is to ultimately wipe out all of you measly little maggots and take over this filthy planet,” Mary admitted brazenly, “but some of us have ulterior agendas when it comes to dealing with the human race. I happen to be one of those people. What we want to do is create a population of hybrids so our species can better adapt to this planet’s environment and better take over this world. We’ve been quite successful. There are millions of hybrids walking around the Earth, and you stupid humans don’t suspect a thing.”_

_“You’re mad!” I cried, struggling to break free from the ropes. If what Mary was saying was real, then I had to warn someone about this threat._

_“Don’t worry, Freddie. Once I’m done having our children, you’ll be our slave. The officials are very keen on keeping a select few set of humans alive, so I promise you’ll be spared.” Mary said this as if it was comforting._

_“Why me?” I wondered. “You can have anyone’s baby. Why me? Why not Lebron James or an offspring of Albert Einstein?”_

_“If I selected someone with a high profile, my cover would surely be blown, but there’s more to it than that. You have something that I’ve been searching for since I arrived on this planet. It might not be athleticism or brains, but it’s raw talent. Both my parents are deaf and I’m tone deaf. Surely, someone with an incredible eight octave range can’t be hard of hearing. You’ll pass your musical skills onto my babies.” She explained._

_“You know Beethoven was deaf, so that disputes your entire bloody plan. You keep calling mankind stupid, but you’re not so bright yourself, dear.” I sassed._

_“Exactly. Beethoven couldn’t sing. Your voice is an instrument. On our planet we can train a basic robot to play piano or guitar better than any living being, but vocals are sought after. You can’t achieve that sound with a machine.”_

_“I know. Auto tune is a devastation.” I agreed. Wait I was getting off track. I had to somehow convince Mary to not rape me because I sensed that she would take that route if she had to in order to get what she wanted. “I’m sure there are plenty of deaf singers too. Don’t kid yourself, darling. And besides my voice I have a lot of bad qualities you wouldn’t want in your child.”_

_Mary shrugged. “I don’t care if our kids grow up to sex addicts like you. There’s nothing wrong with that. I say it’s worth the gamble.”_

_“But I’m gay!” I blurted._

_“Really Freddie? Like I didn’t already know that. It couldn’t have been more obvious.” She surprised me with her knowledge. “From the get-go all you ever cared about were my clothes. Your gayness didn’t stop you from fucking me before, so I don’t see why it would be an issue now. I don’t care if you cheat on me with men. Do as you please. I just need to bear your children.”_

_“Please, Mary!” I writhed against the tight ropes binding my arms to the bed frame. “If you let me go I promise I won’t tell anyone about this.”_

_“Who would you believe you anyway, Freddie?” She smirked. “Oh come now, it won’t be that bad. We’ve made love plenty of times before. This time is no different than the rest. I think you’ll make a great Dad. Of course if we don’t set up our bases here by the time they’re old enough to go through their transformation, I’ll have to take them back to my home planet and you’ll likely never see them again after that. The good news is the invasion is set to launch any day now. We just have to perfect the nanotechnology in our state of the art cyborgs and then we can begin. Then we’ll obliterate all the humans with a few exceptions to be kept as slaves and child bearers.”_

_“All of the world’s militaries will destroy your robots. You won’t succeed.” I kicked her off of me, knocking her off the bed. Mary snarled as she got back up. There was a wild look in her eyes as she arched her wings to their full capacity. Damn! How did she hide those things beneath her coats? That was harder to cover up than my boners._

_“Oh I will get my way, Freddie. Mark my words!” She screeched. There was a bright flash of light coming from her antennae and I felt a sudden shock in between my legs. The condom shriveled away into ashes leaving me unprotected._

_“What the fuck?” I screamed. “If you disintegrate my Melina, no one is getting pregnant any time soon.”_

_Mary glared at me, but then her look softened. “Wait. You named your penis Melina? Isn’t that a girl’s name?”_

_“You know a certain thing has to happen down there for your plan to work, and if you insult my cock, I don’t think he’ll be willing to cooperate. Look, you've scared him and now he’s being shy. What a shame!” I harked sarcastically. There was no way this fucked up experience would get me hard. No erection meant no ejaculation._

_I finally managed to thrash free from the rope around one arm. Quickly I untied the other. “Oh no you don’t!” Mary screamed. Before her dynamite laser beams could erupt from her antennae, I picked up my phone on the nightstand. Using the screen I was able to reflect the blast, boomeranging it right back at her. Then I ran and didn’t dare look back. I laughed successfully when I heard her screaming from the burns._

***

“Freddie, honey?” Someone was running their fingers through my hair, humming a familiar tune. That sounded like... _Love of my Life._ My eyes fluttered open and I found myself on a cold, hard floor in a puddle of my own drool. Mary was crouched beside me softly singing the song I wrote for her. Two armed cyborgs blocked the steel door. Memories of my capture came flooding back to me. “D-Deaky?” I mumbled without thinking. Did they get him too? Or was I the only one?

“W-Where are we?” I asked.

“The London base.” Mary said. “Now that you’re here, we can finally start our new life together!”


	3. Do You Remember, My Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger's symptoms are peculiar and Brian is confused about his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy happy happy birthday to Rami and Sami Malek!!! 💞

_Brian’s POV_

“I think your fever is breaking, Rog.” I said putting my hand to his forehead. “The ibuprofen must be working. How are you feeling?”

“Bit better.” He grunted seeming more with it now. “Did I say anything dumb while I was delusional from the fever?”

“I couldn’t really understand you to be honest. You were slurring and jumbling your words and not making much sense. Something about Clare and cars and stars and love. So nothing any more dumb than what you normally say.” I told him with a teasing grin, happy to have my best friend starting to heal.

Roger tried to sit up but he was clearly still in a lot of pain as he made a face of discomfort. Ahh. Poor Roger. I wish I could do more for him. “Just rest. It’ll get better.” I said, patting his back gently beneath the lumpy blanket.

“Am I ever going to move from this bloody loft? I’m sick of it!” He groaned. “Keep me company, Brimi.” Roger reached his hand out over the blanket and held mine. I allowed the contact knowing it would comfort him.

“Do you want me to sing again?” I offered.

Roger peered at me and then gazed up at the clear dome above us allowing in rays of sparkling sunshine. Then he giggled. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I was just imagining how this place used to be when it was swarming with owls. And I pictured you hanging up from the loft like we are now. You’d be singing to them as they flutter around without a care in the world that the most beautiful man is putting on a show just to make them happy. Some of them might even nest out in your hair. Those goddamn owls don’t deserve you. I wish I was small enough to sleep in your hair. It must be so comfortable in those plush almond colored springs jutting from your head.”

Whoa! There was a lot to unpack there. Much of it could be attributed to Roger still coming out of a daze, but still.

First of all, did he just call me beautiful? My memory was drawing a blank as usual, but from what I could recall this was the first time someone ever complimented my looks. I wasn’t sure what to think or how to respond to such a declaration.

I felt strong feelings for Roger, but I wasn’t sure if it was attraction or not. By objective standards he was perfect with dreamy blue eyes and a sunny smile. Sometimes when Roger just looked my way it would give me a strange bubbly feeling in my stomach like I drank something carbonated. Evidently this was common because if our Frozen singalongs taught me one thing it was that feeling elated was a similar sensation to feeling gassy. So I was somewhere in that zone as Princess Ana would say. Oh believe me, you’d have Frozen singalongs too if you were unbelievably bored with three other musicians. How else would we pass the time without a board game like Scrabble?

“I’m glad we set the owls free.” I said changing the subject. The welfare of animals was something I was very familiar with as opposed to my confusing array of emotions. “They deserve to be out in the wild living their best lives.”

“Mhmm.” Roger yawned snuggling a bit closer. “What was your life like before, Bri?” He drawled, mindlessly toying with a loose curl that dangled down my shoulders.

“I’ve told you countless times I don’t remember.” I sighed. Roger, Freddie, and John all had lives and families that they could foundly look back on, but I had nothing. My memory was empty.

“You must remember something.” Roger urged.

“I told you I must have hit my head or something because the last thing I remember was running for my life from...I guess it would have been cyborgs, but even that is fuzzy.” I struggled to remember, but nothing came to mind. Everything after that point was crystal clear. “Then of course I bumped into Deaky in the woods and then we found you and Freddie. The rest is history as you know. But anything before that is a blur.”

“You know before I got sick Fred and I were talking about how strange your amnesia is.” Roger sighed. “I-I don’t know how to tell you this, but it’s possible you’re purposefully forgetting because whatever happened to you was too traumatic. There’s a technical term for it.”

“Memory repression?” I wondered. That was a theory I frequently pondered. “I’m not sure. At first I believed that was the case, but it’s been two years, Rog. Eventually something would have triggered those memories back. How long can this go on?”

What could possibly have happened to me that was so terrifying that my subconscious decided to erase everything I knew up until the apocalypse?

“Well let’s start with what you do know. Your name is Brian May and you kick ass at guitar. You must have been studying astrophysics because you know so much about stars and space. In fact you have a lot of random knowledge on just about every topic and that makes you the nerdy know-it-all we love. That’s something, right?” Roger offered me a weak smile.

“I have a feeling that’s all we’ll ever know.” I sighed. Why couldn’t I at least recall my family? Was it possible that my parents were murdered in front of my own eyes and I’d rather deny their very existence than face the loss? That seemed like the most plausible explanation. Until I had a complete memory of my past, I knew nothing for sure. My identity was comprised only of a name…

_Just keep running. Make it to the forest. They will stay in the urban areas where there’s more lives to take. The woods are desolate apart from the nonhuman critters. If you can get to the woods they will never find you._

_I was sprinting so quickly and was so desperate to get away from my tormentors that I didn’t notice the boy in my way. It was too late and I collided with him. Both of us tumbled to the muddy ground._

_“S-Sorry.” I stammered standing up and dusting myself off._

_“No problem.” The boy murmured. He was holding a stuffed bunny and trembling slightly. There were tears in his eyes. I felt so odd empathizing with a stranger. I knew nothing about this boy, but somehow his signs of distress made my own heart ache._

_“Are you alright?” I found myself asking._

_He shook his head. “When the robots started shooting, my sister and I ran off into the woods, but I lost track of her. And now I’m lost. A-And I’m all alone.” Tears streamed down his cheeks as he spoke._

_Robots? Was I running from robots? I realized I had no clue what I was trying to escape. All I knew was that I needed to help this young lad who looked to be only a teen. As the older one here, it was my responsibility to—Wait...how old was I? I suddenly wasn’t sure. Nothing seemed to be making any sense._

_“Come now.” I helped the quivering boy to his feet. “We’ll find your sister. I doubt she got far.”_

_“W-What if one of the aliens took her? We just ran without looking back. I don’t know what happened to my parents..o-or anyone. The aliens they just came from the sky alongside their robots...I’m so scared!”_

_It sounded like there was reason to be afraid. Aliens and killer cyborgs were never a good combination. These aliens were also particularly deadly despite maintaining humanoid features. Their DNA was also composed of a rare species of dragon like carnivorous lizards and poisonous butterflies. How the hell did I know all that? Who was I? Well maybe this information I had floating around in my head could be used to help my new friend. It was painful to see the poor boy in such despair. I would do what I can._

_“The deeper we go into the woods the less likely we’ll be caught by a cyborg and we can hopefully find your sister. But we should stick together because it’s safer than being alone. Alright?” I told him._

_He nodded. “T-Thank you.” He sniffled. “My name is John Richard Deacon and I was born on August 19th 2001. People call me Deaky. What’s your name?”_

_I paused. Why did I have to think about this? It was my own name. “My name is…” I shut my eyes deep in concentration, willing it to come to me. Miraculously it did. “Brian May, born July 19th 1997.” So that was a who and a when, but I definitely didn’t have a where. I also couldn’t answer how I got here or why I couldn’t remember anything about myself or my family…_

“Who am I, Roger?” I wondered aloud, the same question I had been asking myself incessantly for the past two years.

“You’re the love of my life.” Roger replied in a most casual manner. I almost didn’t catch it, it was so nonchalant. Then he froze. “Oh shit! Did I just say that out loud?”

“It’s fine.” I blew it off as the ibuprofen was likely making him loopy. “Sometimes we just say things that don’t mean anything.” It had to have been pointless babble. Roger couldn’t be in love with me. For one thing he and Freddie were in a secret relationship. I only knew about that because I was a light sleeper and would sometimes wake up to the sound of them having sex in the middle of the night. I didn’t judge though because they would always be my best friends and family. So I carried on letting them believe I was clueless. It was just too awkward to bring up.

Besides whenever I imagined broaching the topic I had these strange feelings of vitriol when it came to Freddie. He had every right to be intimate with Roger, so why would I be angry with him? I didn’t want any ill will to come out because Freddie was my brother. So I kept quiet and tried to suppress these feelings of rage that seemingly came out of nowhere.

“My ass hurts.” Roger complained.

 _‘Yeah gay sex with your best friend tends to have that effect’_ I thought bitterly. Why did the thought of them together bother me so much? It was just Freddie and Roger, who always had my back and vice versa.

“Is this a side effect of the medicine? Cause my ass feels like a man on fire.” Roger exclaimed.

A burning bum was not a typical symptom of your average flu. What could this mean? I wish I had some knowledge on medicine or health, but it seemed like my expertise only lent itself to the proper diet of a badger and other random useless knowledge.

Before I could offer any solutions, Deaky came bursting through the barrier in tears so frantic that he didn’t lock the door behind him. He was drenched from head to toe and looked just about as scared and miserable as the day I met him.

“Deaks, what happened?” Roger spoke through his pain.

“T-They...They took Freddie.” He sobbed.

“NO!” Roger screamed.

“Slow down.” I untangled myself from Roger’s arms and leapt down from the loft. “Who took Freddie?” As if we didn’t already know.

“T-There was a cyborg...and then...Fred...he-he saved me, but they took him.” John was hysterical and I could barely understand him through his thick tears. “He was trying to warn me...something about the locket I stole. B-But then the cyborg arrived, and the next thing I knew...I was in the water and Freddie was gone!”

“Those alien bastards! If I still had my car I’d ram it into a crowd of sleazes going as fast as I could.” Roger shouted. “Fuck the speed limit! They can’t get away with capturing Freddie.”

“Everyone stay calm!” I hollered. There was no chance of getting Freddie back if we all freaked out like this. We had to stay level headed. “Now, John, tell us exactly what you remember happening and where they might’ve taken Freddie.”

“We were by the stream.” John recounted, slowly composing himself but still shaking relentlessly. “I showed Freddie this locket I found. I thought he’d like it.” He retrieved a soaking wet heart shaped locket from his pocket. “Then Freddie just freaked out and threw the locket into the bottom of the lake. He said something about a tracking device...That might just be an excuse for him not accepting it as a gift because he doesn’t like me like that…”

“Are you kidding?” Roger interrupted as he rolled onto his tummy in discomfort. “Freddie is head over heels in love with you, Deaky. Whenever we have sex he calls me John by mistake.”

Did Roger just own up to his affair with Freddie? John seemed taken aback as well, but it took him a moment to fully comprehend. “Roger, you don’t know th--Wait what?”

“Shit! No. Don’t listen to me. I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m in pain. My ass is burning and I feel like I’ve been stabbed several times in the shoulder blades. So anything I say is utter bullshit.” Roger stammered.

I wasn’t sure what to make out of Roger’s convenient incoherence. When he did have sex with Freddie, I gave them their privacy and tried not to listen too closely. So I might’ve missed if Freddie ever called out John’s name by accident. Obviously their relationship wasn’t a lie, but then why would Roger call me the love of his life? This was all so confusing. But it was distracting from the point. Freddie was in trouble! That should be our main focus. As his family, we had to find a way to rescue him because there was no way we’d ever leave him behind.

“Go on, John. Tell us what happened next.” I insisted. “We can sort out these shenanigans after we’ve gotten our Freddie back.”

“Umm...I umm...Oh yeah, so Freddie threw the locket into the lake like the Titanic lady at the end of the movie. And then I thought I heard something behind me, but before I could turn around Freddie told me to hold my breath, and he pushed me into the water. I was about to pop my head back up for air, but I could make out the silhouettes on the surface. There was a cyborg and he launched a dart at Freddie. Then I sunk lower so it wouldn’t see me and I found my locket. By the time I ran out of breath and had to come back up, the cyborg had already teleported away with Freddie. It must have taken him to an alien base.”

“That’s not helpful at all. There’s an alien base on every street corner. They’re more common than fast food chains. And the entrances are barricaded and heavily armed by cyborgs. How the hell are we gonna get to Freddie?” Roger cried.

“You’re too weak to get up from the loft, Rog. If anyone’s going after Freddie it’s me.” Curiously I examined John’s locket. Perhaps Deaky was onto something about there being a tracking device inside. If I could pick it apart maybe it would lead us to Freddie. With the locket in hand, I suddenly got a flash of an image that was quicker than the speed of light. An empty street...but it felt too familiar.

“Feltham!” I gasped nearly dropping the locket.

“What?” John asked, confused by my outburst. Roger gave me a concerned look as well, but I was too giddy to care.

“I-I come from Feltham!” At long last I could remember something about my past. “I remember! I know where I’m from!” I exclaimed.

“Whoa! Maybe the locket’s magical.” Roger speculated.

“Maybe.” I agreed, smiling to myself despite these dire circumstances. In all the excitement, we still failed to realize that the protective seal was lowered and the door was unlocked...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! What's going to happen to Freddie? Why can Brian suddenly remember where he's from? And what's going on with Roger's ass? All this and more to come. Stay tuned!


	4. It's a Hard Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie makes a new friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's been keeping up with this story and leaving comments! Please keep it up!♥️♥️♥️

_ Freddie’s POV _

There was artificial sunlight inside the alien base, but I couldn’t spot a single window or door within the industrial sectors. Even though we were indoors from what I could tell, it was much larger than I imagined with several pod doors opening and closing revealing new locations to explore. They all looked the same: stark and metallic with no signs of livelihood or color. Sleazes roamed freely, some flying overhead, but most walked. “Where are we going?” I asked, well aware of the cyborgs pointing their guns to my head as we walked. 

“Home of course.” Mary replied. “You’re going to love our dwelling, sweetheart. I already set up the nursery. We don’t know the gender yet so I painted the walls yellow instead of pink or blue. And now that you know what I really look like, you don’t have to wear a blindfold. I’m sure seeing me naked will help your Melina if you know what I mean.” 

“Sorry, darling, I’m afraid mutant butterflies are a big turn off for me.” I responded coldly. “You’re not getting anything from me or my Melina.” 

“Freddie Mercury, we both know you can’t go very long without having sex. It’s only a matter of time.” Mary threatened. 

Fuck! She was right. I even had to resort to fucking Roger I was so desperately horny. Although I had to admit sex with Roger was 39 million times better than it was with Mary. Speaking of Roger, I wonder if he was feeling any better since Deaky brought back the medicine. Deaky! Did he make it back to the observatory without being spotted? I had to get back to my family. My boys needed me. Somehow I’d escape this nightmare. 

Mary put her antenna up to a panel and another pod door opened revealing a flat that looked ordinary aside from the door technology. There was a living room with a mahogany piano, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and bathroom. The furnishing was a bit drab and the rooms could use some lightening up, but other than that it was comfortable. 

“Alright. I’ll be back in a few hours. Make yourself at home because until I can trust you, you won’t be allowed to leave. If you need anything, the servant will tend to you.” Mary said all in one breath. 

“Mary, wait you can’t just--” It was too late, the pod door slammed shut. I was trapped in this dingy windowless alien flat! What was I going to do? Was there any way out of here? I searched the flat in search of another door that didn’t require putting an antenna to a panel to unlock it. No such luck. All I found was a creepy nursery complete with not one, not two, but three cribs. Jesus! Did she want triplets or something? 

“Why me?” I asked myself as I wandered into the kitchen. Maybe I could find some sort of knife or cooking utensil that could be used as a weapon. Mary beat me to it. All the knives, frying pans, and anything useful was locked in a glass containment that also required antenna recognition to open. I put my finger on the scanner just to test it out. The panel flashed red and shocked my finger. “Fuck!” 

I noticed a bowl with a spoon resting on the table. Much to my surprise it was filled with what looked like my mother’s curry recipe. I hadn’t eaten a home cooked meal in so long, but I wasn’t stupid. For all I knew Mary had poisoned it. There was a note beside the dish. 

_ My dear Freddie, _

_ I made spicy chicken curry special for you. Jer always said that was your favorite. I hope this reminds you of home because that’s where you are right now. Welcome home! Eat up!  _

_ With love,  _

_ Mary _

I tore the note to shreds and was about to dump the bowl into the trash bin because it was absolute rubbish. Only as I raised the bowl to the bin, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. 

“Mistress Mary will get suspicious if she finds the meal in the trash. I would recommend the incinerator. Leaves no evidence.” Mary mentioned something about a servant, but I wasn’t expecting it to be a human. It was relieving to see another face without antennae or red eyes. This man was about as tall as Brian and was a bit hefty with kind blue eyes. 

“We have an incinerator?” I asked unsure how to approach the stranger. He seemed like he was on my side, but I couldn’t be too sure. 

“Right here, sir.” The man took my bowl and dumped it into what I thought was a washing machine. I was very wrong because when he pushed a button everything inside turned to bright orange flames quickly melting to ashes. He casually used a dustpan to clean out the remnants while whistling a familiar tune. Where had I heard that song before? It was on the tip of my tongue…

“Anything else you need, sir?” He looked up shyly. Well this man seemed harmless enough, I might as well show him some kindness in return. I doubt he wanted to be Mary’s servant. 

“Sir is fun in the bedroom if that’s your kink, but unless we’re doing something sexy I’d rather you call me Freddie, dear. What do I call you?” 

“I don’t have an official name.” He said hesitantly. “I prefer the name Peter. Like Peter Pan. Are you a Disney fan by any chance?” 

“That song you were whistling...it was The Second Star to the Right, correct?” He nodded. I knew I heard it somewhere. “I love Disney!” I proclaimed, “The music, the magic, the drama, it's all so divine!” 

“I am glad to hear that si--Freddie.” Peter corrected himself. “Mistress Mary gave me your sizes so I could build you a wardrobe. The Mickey Mouse shirt I got for you is my favorite. I was scared you wouldn’t like it. I also got you the piano by the way. She said you were a musician and excellent at piano.” 

“You got me my own wardrobe?” I squealed excitedly. “Oh darling, you really shouldn’t have!” 

“Well Mistress Mary would not want you to be wearing those rags for the rest of your life.” He said. “And you’ll probably be happier and more comfortable in a fresh pair of clothing.”

“Rags?” I cried. “Darling, I’ll have you know that I sewed this leotard stitch by stitch from scratch! I know it’s gotten a bit dirty and tattered, but keeping up my fashionable looks and style in the apocalypse is no easy feat.” 

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to offend you, sir. Can I offer you a drink? Alcohol is known to cause impotence. I can also prepare you a proper meal that is not laced with viagra.” Peter suggested. 

“You’re on my side?” I realized although I was still a bit skeptical. “I thought for sure Mary had brainwashed you. Thank goodness! Did that bitch seriously try to put viagra in my food?” 

“It is common practice for females with human mates wishing to repopulate. They need to get creative at times. Be thankful that you are not in the reverse situation. Most of the human women who give birth to hybrids were raped. Although women raping their male human mates isn’t unheard of either.” Peter explained. 

“That’s horrible!” I cried. I didn’t have any doubts that Mary would force me to get her way. Sex should never be used as a traumatizing weapon. The thought of rape made me sick to my stomach because these monsters were taking something otherwise enjoyable and intimiate and twisting it into a terrifying experience that no one should ever live through. 

Peter nodded solemnly. “There are ways to help the human male mates like yourself avoid forced sex. Cold showers, alcohol, a high processed fatty diet, and various turnoffs.”

Basically, I’d be safe from Mary’s plans so long as I didn’t get hard, but that was much easier said than done. Mary was right; it was only a matter of time. I had to escape before it was too late. I knew I wouldn’t be able to last very long without giving into my desires. 

Of course there was always a silver lining. I knew it was nothing more than a means to lure me in but I still screamed like a giggly school girl when I discovered the closet full of clothes and accessories just for me. A lot of tight pants, in a rainbow variety of colors and a series of matching and themed shirts. Oh these would look fabulous! “Darling this is perfect!” I exclaimed. “I can’t thank you enough!” I quickly shed my old leotard and changed into a pair of skin tight black jeans with the yellow Mickey Mouse shirt that Peter touted. The shirt was adorable and the pants hugged my hips in all the right ways. “Don’t I look good?” I grinned doing a little twirl to show off my new outfit. “If you picked this all out for me, then you and I will get along just fine, Phoebe, my dear.” The nickname slipped out. He really didn’t seem like a Peter. He was far too soft reminding me of a teddy bear. “Do you mind if I call you that?” 

“Phoebe is a girl’s name.” He remarked but then he smiled. “I want that to be my new name! Can it be my new name? I like it a lot!” 

“Phoebe it is then.” I declared. “Now I’d like that drink please.”

“Right away,  _ Freddie. _ ” He emphasized my name to ensure he didn’t slip up and call me sir again.

“So tell me, dear, how did you end up in this mess? I doubt you willingly chose to be the slave of a demoness.” I tried to get more information on my new friend. While I was at ease with Phoebe, there was still a suspicion in the back of my mind. Rightfully so. I was in a foreign land so I shouldn’t foolishly trust just anyone. Falling for Mary was how I wound up here in her trap to begin with.

“I’ve been with Mistress Mary for a few months now. She treats me better than some of my previous masters, but that is not saying much. Honestly, I prefer these types of assignments because they lead me to hybrids and humans like you, Freddie. Humans are always so kind to me and I am humbled with gratitude. That’s why I went all out to impress you with the wardrobe and the piano. I’m not allowed to have friends, but I would like for us to be friends regardless because friendship is so difficult to come across in my life.” He admitted.

The male sleazes were slightly different from their female counterparts. They lacked antennae and instead had a scaly wedged tail with spikes like a dragon. Their wings were also more sharp looking whereas the women’s wings were more rounded. Phoebe had no tail and no wings. His teeth and nails didn’t resemble harsh fangs and claws. He wasn’t an alien. Yet according to his own words he wasn’t quite human either. Could he be a hybrid?

“Freddie, what’s the matter? Have I spoken too much?” Phoebe asked. 

“No, you aren’t a bother at all, dear. You’re free to speak your mind to me. I was just wondering...well, if you aren’t human then what are you?” I blurted.

“I am mostly human.” He replied. “I have human organs and bones and mostly the same anatomy. Except when it comes to my skull. It’s an empty cage. I don’t have a human brain. Instead there’s a state of the art nanotechnological chip lodged in my cranium. So I function more similar to a cyborg than anything else. But I wasn’t designed or programmed for the same purposes as my brothers. I serve to recruit human mates and care for hybrids.”

I was surprised that Phoebe was so forthright with me. “Why are you helping me, then? Wouldn’t you want Mary to get pregnant because you’re programmed to encourage that?”

“It’s more complicated than that, Freddie.” Phoebe remarked. “You see my technology is still very new and somewhat glitchy. As a result, I can think for myself and learn beyond the capacity of my programming. Gaining a moral conscience and connecting with my human side is considered a side effect of a virus corrupting my circuit breakers. I know better than to follow the guidelines and report the bug myself because I will be deactivated and reprogrammed. Essentially I would be killed if anyone were to find out that I’m malfunctioning and helping humans.” 

“So you remain compliant to your masters and pretend to be a dumb droid and just follow orders?” I summed up. “Oh dear that must be miserable.”

“It’s a hard life.” Phoebe agreed. “I don’t have much choice, but I appreciate those who treat me as more than just a hunk of metal. Like I said humans and hybrids are always the most considerate. So I try to return them favors and help them out to the best of my ability.”

“How come the other cyborgs are murderous monsters and nothing like you? You’re such a peach, darling.” I complimented my new friend.

“I’m almost nearly human. I have flesh tissues and blood cells rather than hollow metal. Plus the technology of the common cyborg is much more basic than my coding. They execute simple commands. Scan signs of life. Either collect or kill. That’s it. They’re easier to mass produce and almost never malfunction. There are very few of my prototypes around, however. We’ve pretty much been discontinued because of the glitch in our system giving us our humanity and personality. In fact, I’ve heard word that the order is working on enslaving the brightest of human engineers to work around the clock to fix this virus in our programming that allows us to be individuals. These engineers will be picked up and brought to a base rather than killed the same way you were brought here.”

John was an engineer! I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. I didn’t want John enslaved and assigned to kill people like Phoebe, but that was better than him getting murdered. I was so worried for the fate of my family. Phoebe seemed trustworthy. “Do you think it would be possible to get a message to the outside? I need to know if my friends are alright.”

“I have access to the entire database of claimed humans. I can tell you their status and location if you give me their names.” Phoebe stated. 

“John Richard Deacon.” I said without hesitation.

Phoebe’s eye twitched slightly. “Status unknown. Is he in hiding? Because he’s not showing up in any of the databases or reports.”

“Yes!” I let out a sigh of relief. “He’s in hiding. They don’t have him. Thank God!” I was about to ask about Brian and Roger, but then I realized something. “You can tell me the status of anyone that’s been caught?” 

“Yes. I just don’t have any information about those in hiding like your friend John.”

I was afraid to ask, but… “Do you know if Kashmira Bulsara is still alive?”

Again Phoebe’s eye twitched and I worried about what that meant. “She’s currently pregnant with a hybrid son in a base in Nottingham. Status: Alive and healthy.”

Kash was alive! I didn’t take too well to this news of being an uncle because I knew what it implied. An alien had defiled my baby sister and I was unable to protect her. I failed her as a big brother. But at least she was alive and apparently healthy. Maybe one day I would see her again.

“Why are you crying?” Phoebe asked.

“Because I let my sister down. I wasn’t there to fight for her. I made a promise to my parents that I’d look after her, but I didn’t. Now she’s carrying the spawn of an alien scumbag and she’s all alone. It’s all my fault.” I cried.

“I don’t see how this could be your fault.” He told me.

I sighed. Spilling my guts out to a stranger and a robot no less was a bad idea. However, I had to get this off my chest or I feared it would weigh me down. “After Mary showed her true colors and nobody believed me, I had to run away. Mary knew where I lived after all. So I moved in with the friendly cat woman who I always passed walking with her cats on my way to work. She believed me and was already preparing a secret shelter for the coming apocyplse in the owl observatory where she worked. If I hadn’t been with her during the invasion and was instead back home with my family, I could have done something. Instead, when I went back home I found my parents dead and Kash missing. I could have protected them. But I didn’t. I was a coward and fled to the owl observatory. I couldn’t even keep poor Ms. Hoot alive. They shot her right in before my eyes while I hid like a pathetic child. At least her cats managed to escape.” 

“I can’t properly process the cruelty of my creators. I am so sorry. But at least your sister is still alive. Most humans aren’t so lucky.” Phoebe allowed me a shoulder to cry on and it felt good. I needed somebody to vent to now that I was away from my favorite three people in the world. Eventually, I composed myself. 

“Look at me, dear, yapping away, and crying over a drink without offering you anything. Would you like something yourself? You might be better at preparing it than me I’m afraid.” I wasn’t to be trusted in a normal kitchen, let alone an alien one. 

“Do you mind if I make myself a gin and tonic? I don’t need food and drink to survive like humans do, but I still enjoy it as a nice treat.” Phoebe asked reluctantly. 

“Of course you can pour yourself a drink, dear. You don’t need my permission to let loose and get some enjoyment out of such a dreadful life. You go right ahead, darling.” I prompted. 

“Thank you, Freddie.” He rose from the chair and went to make the drink. “Mistress Mary will probably be returning soon, I’m assuming with some skimpy lingerie. She’ll likely request that I power down so you two can have privacy.” 

“You power down?” I asked curiously. “How does that work? Do you not have to sleep?” 

“Every so often I have to power down to recharge, the same way humans require sleep. My energy runs on moonbeams. Since I’m not allowed to leave the base and get exposure to the moonlight, I use this.” Phoebe showed me a small device that almost looked like a lighter but was carved entirely out of milky white stone. “This was developed from the carvings of moon rocks from one of the moons of the home planet. I use it to power down and recharge. Otherwise I wouldn’t get any exposure to the moon because the bases I get assigned to are isolated and closed off to any natural source of light.”

Brian would not fare well here. When he was away from nature and couldn’t see the stars he would fall into a depression. That’s why we all slept beneath the clear dome in the owl loft, so that we were under the stars. I was going to miss that when I slept in this darkened prison tonight. It was almost like being confined to a cave. 

“I’ve actually never been to the home planet because I was designed in a laboratory in Kensington here on Earth.” Phoebe reminisced. “I hear that taking weekend vacations to one of the moons is quite common. One of the moons even has a waterpark where the kids can play.” 

“You’re from Kensington?” I gasped. “You must really be one of the newest models because the sleaze didn’t start opening their bases on Earth until the invasion. So you’re likely less than two years old.” 

“Oh no. The sleaze as you like to call them have been on Earth longer than the humans realize. They just infiltrated in secret and covertly built up their resources for the full scale invasion. For the past four decades sleazes like Mistress Mary have been mating with humans at a rapid rate, hoping to outgrow the newer generation of the human population. I believe they have nearly succeeded in having hybrids outnumber human babies because modern humans tend to get married and raise a family at an older age, some even waiting as late into their lives as their 30s. As for me, the nanotechnology laboratories where I was designed began creeping up as early as the late 1980s. They were just disguised as human computer and technology companies. My model is from the year 1998, but our original prototype was first introduced in 1997.” 

“So they’ve been here all along just below our noses and we were too blind to realize it.” I concluded. There really wasn’t anything I could have done differently to stop the invasion. Nobody believed me about Mary, and the sleaze were already engrossed in our world by then. All I could do now was keep myself alive and try not to get aroused for Mary to take advantage of me.

“So these hybrid babies, are they more human or alien?” I asked. The thought of having an alien baby was a decent turnoff I could always rely on. 

“They start out their life surprisingly human. You wouldn’t be able to distinguish them from normal human children until they grow into their teenage years.” Phoebe explained. “Then their teeth and nails start to become sharper. Girls generally undergo the transformation process earlier in their mid to late teenage years For boys, it can sometimes take as long as their 21st birthday to molt. It’s a painful process regardless of gender, most hybrids don’t survive. Those on Earth who don’t return to the home planet or a base for proper medical care have an even higher mortality rate. I’ve been assigned to comfort and care for hybrids going through their transformation, and it’s heartbreaking to watch them deteriorate and die in some cases. Although the molting process is made quicker and easier with certain special potions to help ease the pain, the side effects are strange and very traumatizing.” 

“If I do end up having kids with Mary, that’s what they’ll have to look forward to?” I cried. “At any point during their teenage years, they’ll either die or turn into an alien? And there’s nothing they can do to stop the inevitable pain? What kind of life is that?”

“Well those who do survive are celebrated in a traditional ceremony that lasts for days.” Phoebe tried to find something positive to say. “Lots of music and dancing. I’ve attended two in my lifetime, and they were the most fun I’ve ever had. I’m sure you’ll be asked to perform in one if you stay here long enough. The order gathers all the musicians they can find and special cyborgs are programmed to play instruments and entertain as well.” 

That would be a nice distraction and a perfect chance to get away from Mary. What were the odds of one of those ceremonies happening anytime soon? Unless there were other events I could participate in to get me out of this flat. “How often are there performances like that?” I inquired. 

“Like I said there’s cyborgs designed specifically to entertain the masses. They put together concerts all the time, a sort of tour traveling from base to base and even circulating to the home planet occasionally. Vocalists are very popular as well, but the cyborgs tour all year round because they don’t need the rest and restraint to maintain their skills and stay sharp and healthy.” Phoebe said. 

“Are there any human vocalists who perform?” I pushed. This could be my ticket to freedom. And Phoebe seemed to understand my plans. “You know I think it’s about time you paved the way for human performers, Freddie.” 

Before we could come up with a possibility that would let me out of this cheap B movie, Phoebe’s eye twitched again. “Your friend’s name was John Richard, Deacon, correct?” He asked. 

Oh no! My heart stopped dead in my chest. “Why? What happened?” I cried. 

“I um I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFF HANGER! :0


	5. I Don't Like Star Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger reunites with Clare and his family, but it goes nothing like the way he planned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I wanted to make Smol Bean Queen one-shots 'cause I'm a fan of the incredible shrinking trope? LOL Yeah that might still on the to-do-list some day one day, but now it's gonna be part of this story even though literally nobody asked. You're welcome!

_Roger's POV_

"So you're from Feltham?" I asked as we all stared down at the locket.

"I think so. I can't believe this. After all this time I finally remember something. There must be something in this locket. Maybe it's a kind of magic, or someone close to me had a similar locket that brought back the memory." Brian speculated.

"Do you think there's some alien technology in the locket? Maybe it can lead us to Freddie because he seemed to know something about it. We should tinker with it a bit." John said with clear desperation in his voice. I didn't blame him. We all wanted Freddie back with us ASAP. Then I'd tease that bugger relentlessly about how he shouldn't get kidnapped by aliens ever again because his place was here with us.

"First thing's first, let's lock up. We don't want anyone else getting captured." Brian said, going to put the seal back into place.

Only before he could, a man who seemed to have appeared out of thin air charged into the room. Oh shit! He was human, but that didn't put me at ease because he could try to rob us or something sinister. Fuck! Why couldn't I move from this bloody loft? I tried to get down, but another painful spout of stabs tingled in my shoulder blades like someone was slicing them with a butcher knife.

"We don't want any trouble." Brian told the man. "We're just like you, trying to keep ourselves alive. Take whatever you want, but please don't hurt us." Deaky put his hands in the air as a sign of resistance in case this intruder was armed.

The man had receding long dark hair and was wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt. Well at least he had decent taste in music. He looked over Brian curiously. "Wasn't expecting to find another Brian here." He said as if that statement made sense. "Anyway, don't mind me. I'm just doing my job." He looked up to the loft meeting my eyes. His smile was warm yet sympathetic. "You ready to go home, Roger?"

"How do you know who we are?" I demanded.

"I work for your father. I've been tracking you for months now. I was scared I wouldn't find you in time." He replied. "So can you move from there or am I going to have to help you out?"

Wait what? I hadn't seen my father in years. He vanished without a trace when I was a little boy leaving Mom to raise me and Clare on her own. Why would he suddenly hire a bounty hunter to come and find me? There was no way in hell I was going with this stranger. For all I knew he worked for the sleaze.

"You need to leave." Brian said sharply, giving the man a tough shove. "You're not taking our Roger anywhere."

"You know I've got no choice." The man replied not even flinching from Brian's push. He tried to get past the equally tall man, but Deaky surprisingly stood his ground. Standing on his tiptoes he got up in the intruders face. "You heard Brian. We're not going to lose another friend. No one goes near Roger except us. Now get the fuck out!...Please." Of course he had to say please to be polite. I loved Deaky. If I wasn't in so much pain I'd be right there defending him and Brian from this lunatic.

"This is nothing personal, boys. It's for Roger's own good that I do this." The man announced as he unpocketed a small coin. He took a step back and then dropped it on the ground by Brian and John's feet. Suddenly a net ballooned out from the tiny coin like a parachute and coiled around the guitarists. I screamed but I knew there was nothing I could do. In the blink of an eye, Brian and Deaky disappeared alongside the net. They were gone! There was no trace of them. A panic rose from deep within my chest.

"W-What the fuck?" I squeaked feeling both pissed off and horrified at the same time. "Where did they go? What did you do to them?"

"I'm sorry, Roger. I know they were your friends, but this was the only way." The motherfucker had the audacity to sound remorseful. "They would have tried to stop me. I don't think they would have understood that you'll be dead in a matter of days if you don't seek the proper medical attention and embrace your destiny."

"You bastard!" I screamed. "What did you do to them? They're not just my friends, they're the only family I have left."

"That's not true, Roger. Your parents and Clare are waiting for your arrival. They'll be so pleased to finally have you back." He revealed. I wasn't sure if I could believe him. It would be so amazing if I could see Mom and Clare again just one more time. I'd give anything to go back and just have my normal life. I knew things would never ever be the same though. My life was turned upside so suddenly that I never would have seen it coming...

_School was finally out. That meant freedom! As soon as the bell rang I zoomed past all the kids out in the halls and by their lockers and out into the parking lot. At last I reached my safe haven: MY CAR!_

_Fuck homework. I was gonna go for a long joy ride and then head home and play my drums all afternoon. A perfect way to erase those pesky lessons from my mind that I had to endure all day long. I blasted rock music and drove down the streets without a care in the world._

_Then I got an incoming phone call from my mother. I rolled my eyes and answered, allowing her call to interrupt my music in the car's speakers._

_"Hi, hon! Listen, a plumber is coming to fix the sink anywhere between 4-7pm so I have to be here to let him in. Do you mind picking up Clare from football (American soccer) practice?"_

_Okay I wasn't as annoyed as I thought I would be. I'd do anything for Clare. "Sure thing, Mom." I agreed._

_"Thanks, Rog. You're a real lifesaver! I don't know what I'd do without y—What hell?" Suddenly the line broke up, but I thought I heard Mom scream._

_Then it happened. It was all so quick that I could've missed it with the blink of an eye. A metal machine man with piercing red eyes leapt in front of my car. In the distance there were several of them shooting guns at people and oncoming cars. Some sort of man with wide wings and a spiky tail flew overhead too like a soaring eagle. I tried to swerve out of the way in time, but my car flipped and the next thing I knew I was falling off the side of the road._

_***_

_"Can you hear me, darling?" A beautiful exotic man with long raven black hair blowing in the wind was helping me out of my car or rather what was left of it. I must've blacked out._

_"C-Clare...I have to pick up Clare." I remembered. It looked like my wrecked car (poor baby) had fallen somewhere in the woods. I doubt I even got reception out here._

_"You're lucky to be alive, darling. You look like you got into a nasty crash." The helpful stranger spoke in a smooth posh voice. His eyes were black as midnight and I found myself comforted by his presence. Then I remembered my car._

_"NOO!" I shouted, taking in the damage. It was so badly smashed and distorted I would probably never drive it again. This was the worst thing that could ever happen to me! What a nightmare!_

_"Shh! I know you're upset, darling, but you need to keep your voice down. We don't want to get caught by a sleaze or cyborg."_

_Cyborg... "T-There was a robot! Like a real live terminator. It jumped in front of my car and..and..."_

_Two more people approached us looking just as miserable as I probably did. One was just a boy who appeared to be only 16 and scared out of his mind, sniffling. He was very cute and had an innocent sweet look to him. Only the taller of the two boys caught my attention first. He had a full curly head of hair down to his shoulders and soft hazel eyes. Everything was chaotic right now and I was scared out of my mind. I should have been focused on getting Clare home safely. Despite all this, the only thought going through my mind was that I had fallen in love at first sight with an angel from up above._

And now all three of my boys had been taken from me just like everything else I had lost that day. My sweet, silly Freddie, my adorable baby Deaky, and of course my perfect angel Bri. I was all alone and in so much pain.

"What did you do to Bri and John?" I demanded one more time through gritted teeth.

"John will be alright. The London base I sent them to was requesting human engineers. He'll be put to work." The man said flippantly. "As for your Brian, I'm not too sure what's going to happen to him, but you can get a replacement if you'd like. I know it's not the same, but maybe you'll grow attached to the new one."

"How dare you speak about my friends with so much disrespect. I'll have you know that Brian fucking May is irreplaceable and if anything happens to him I'll kill you!" I snarled. I meant it. I would murder this son of a bitch. As soon as I got my strength back I'd slit his throat. Right now my threat was meaningless because I was a sitting duck (or in this case owl).

"Easy there, Roger. Try not to exert too much energy. You're very feeble right now. Things will get more bearable for you when I bring you back home where you belong. Once you're all better, I'm sure you'll be allowed to visit John and your Brian if he's still intact. Maybe if you ask nicely enough Master Michael will let you keep your Brian."

"Stop talking about Brian like he's a thing. He's not." I shouted.

Disinterested in what I had to say, he examined the locket on the table. "So how did your human friend John come across a locket with alien tracking technology from a base in Feltham?"

The locket also had ties to Feltham? That couldn't be a coincidence. What did it all mean? I winced as a new onslaught of pain hit my ass again burning it like hot lava. This time the agony was so bad that I passed out.

***

"You see! I told you all that he was still alive! Aren't you glad I asked Dad to send out Crystal to go find him and bring him back? I knew Roggie wouldn't die on us." I recognized that voice, but it couldn't be real. That same voice had been calling out to me in my dreams relentlessly for the past two years.

"C-Clare?" Not wanting it to be another dream, I was hesitant to open my eyes. I found that when I did slowly sit up, my pain had decreased significantly. Moving my muscles wasn't an excruciating ordeal.

"I'm here, Roggie.It's alright. You're safe now. You're home." I felt her squeeze my hand. This couldn't be real, but I wanted to see her again even if it was just fantasy. So I opened my eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" A sound similar to a siren escaped my lips. This creature wasn't my sister. She resembled Clare with short blonde hair and baby blue eyes, but there was no way. A pair of yellow antennae poked out from her forehead like an insect and round yellow butterfly wings extended from her shoulder blades. This girl was a sleaze and I wanted nothing to do with her.

"Get the fuck away from me, you alien scum!" I shouted.

"Really Rog? We haven't seen each other in over two years and those are the first words you say to me. Why am I not surprised? You haven't changed a bit, have you?" The sleaze harked in Clare's voice complete with my sister's sarcastic smile. "Welcome home, big brother."

"H-Home?" I looked around and was surprised by how familiar everything felt. I was laying on a bed in what appeared to be a not so messy version of my childhood bedroom. Everything was exactly how I remembered it right down to the Beatles and Who posters on the wall. All that was missing was my array of discarded dirty clothing, food wrappers, and other junk. Also it smelled a lot better in here. Somebody must have vacuumed for the first time in years.

My mother stood by the door looking perfectly normal as she always did apart from a few extra wrinkles beneath her eyes. Well that was a relief! The only problem was that she was standing next to another sleaze, this one a male. He was tall with scruffy dark hair and a greying beard. Long silver wings protruded from his shoulders and a matching silver tail snaked down from his lower back, his coccyx to be specific.

"Get away from my mother, you bastard!" I snarled.

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now, Roger, is that any way to talk to your father? I could have just let you die out there on Earth, but instead I was kind enough to send out my cyborg to trace you down. Show some gratitude, son."

I shook my head. "You're not my father."

"Search your feelings, you know it to be true." The alien resembling Clare said in a deep voice imitating James Earl Jones. She giggled. "Yeah probably not the time for a Star Wars reference, but I couldn't resist." Fuck! That was exactly something Clare would say in this situation. Now I was starting to understand why Freddie didn't like Star Wars because this intergalactic family melodrama really sucked!

"Is he awake yet?" The man who kidnapped Brian and John and probably brought me here walked into the room. He had the balls to smile at me. "Hey, Roger. Are you feeling any better now that you're among your own kind? I can't promise that the pain will go away completely, but the molting process will be a lot easier now."

"These aren't my own kind...except for you, Mom. You're fine. But you," I pointed to the female sleaze, "and you," I pointed to the male sleaze, "are not my family."

"I know it's hard to accept." The Clare sleaze said gently. "Believe me I threw a fit too when I found out I was a hybrid, but it's gonna be alright, Roger. We're together now. Soon you'll be done with your transformation and we can celebrate."

"If he survives." The lying sleaze man stated. "That is no guarantee. Although the potion should help."

Clare shuddered. "No, Dad. Please don't put Roger through that. He seems like he's doing alright. I think he'll molt fine without any magic."

"We don't know that, Clare." Mom said. "We finally got our baby boy back. Now we have to do everything we can to ensure he survives even if it means using the potion. It wasn't so bad when you went through it, sweetheart. You looked so cute and precious. Chris took such good care of you too. Now look at you, you've spread your wings. It all worked out."

"It was hell." Clare said darkly. "We're not doing that to Roger. Like you said we just got him back. Why should we traumatize him?"

Holy shit! She was Clare. I was sure of it now. She shared her compassion and quirky mannerisms. That meant that they must have... "Clare, what the hell did they do to you? How could they turn you into an alien?"

"It's a natural process, Rog. We don't really have a choice. You're already going through the change yourself. But it's alright. If I survived, then so can you. And I bet you can do it without any of that potion bullshit."

No! I wasn't going to turn into an alien and I certainly wasn't taking any magic potions that would do God knows what to me. "I'm sorry they had to get to you and do this to you, Clare, but I'm not going to end up like you."

"Foolish boy." My supposed father alien scoffed. "Why do you think you've been so severely ill these past few days? You're already molting. And that pain you feel. Where is it located?"

In my shoulder blades and ass, but what did that have to do with... growing wings and a tail in those exact spots. Oh hell no! "NO!" I screamed. "I'm not growing wings and a tail! I'm not turning into a freak! I'm not like you!"

"Calm down, sweetheart, it's going to be alright. You'll always be my baby boy no matter what." Mom said as if I was throwing a typical angsty teenage fit. But this wasn't anything like that.

"It might help if you can see it." Clare said. "Here." She helped me out of the bed, and I was unsteady. This was my first time standing up in days. I had to limp to follow Clare to the mirror, but I wasn't complaining because this was the best I had felt in a while. The pain had subsided to dull aches. "What am I looking at?" I demanded staring back at my own familiar reflection alongside this mutant version of Clare.

"Take off your shirt, silly." She responded. I honestly had no clue what the hell was happening, but something told me I was in no position to disobey. So I removed my grey t-shirt without further protest. Once again I screamed so loud I swear I nearly cracked the mirror. There were lumpy blue bulges swelling out of my shoulder blades.

"Now in privacy you'll be able to see the start of your tail growing as well but I won't make you take your trousers off in front of everybody." Clare giggled. "It looks like your wings will be blue like your eyes. Oh how pretty."

"No!" I cried staring at the deformity until my vision swirled with tears. "This is a mistake. Those aren't wings. T-They can't be..." And then the steady pain started up again. I collapsed onto the floor and curled myself into a little ball hissing in discomfort.

The man--Crystal or Chris--crouched down and put his hand to my forehead. "He's burning up. This can't be good. We need to give him the potion. Clare, you remember how well I treated you. I promise I'll be just as gentle with Roger. I swear on my circuitboard that I won't let anything happen to him, but if we leave him with a fever like this he could die."

"No!" I wheezed. "No potions! Get away!"

"Oh my poor baby!" Mom was also by my side and she stroked my hair. "It'll be alright. We just want you to live. The potion is better than dying. You'll be such an adorable smol bean. It's not so bad. Right, Clare?"

"Oh yeah being three inches tall was a delight." Clare said sarcastically.

"What the fuck?" I hissed. "What are you crazy sadists trying to do to me?"

"It's the most common side effect of the potion." Crystal explained. "It makes the molting process quicker and less painful, but the sample of the lizard DNA in it can lead to you being reduced to the size of one."

"You wankers are insane!" I screamed. "I'm not going to turn into a fucking lizard person. Not today, Satan!"

"I mean I guess it's better than the potion with butterfly DNA that I had to take." Clare said hesitantly. "Boys have it so much easier. Tails make for faster flying. Who needs all these extra senses with these antennae? I'd rather trade them in for a tail. You probably won't get as small as I did either."

"Oh yeah we have all the luck." I chirped sarcastically.

"It won't be so bad, dear. It'll only be a few days at most and then you'll be back to your normal size." Mom said. "Won't it be nice to not be in so much pain all the time?"

I shook my head. "Mom, you can't let them do this to me. What is wrong with you? How could you let them do this to Clare?"

"Don't blame her, Rog. She didn't have a choice. I hated that bloody potion, but if I didn't take it I might not be here right now. I'm hoping you don't need to take it, but it looks like your fever is back. I can't lose you again, Roggie."

"You're all mad!" I cried. I struggled to crawl away from them all. Michael only laughed at how pathetic I was. "You can't run from your destiny, son!"

I made it out of my bedroom finding the familiar hallway. Wherever we were, it was a replica of my old home, but with a lack of windows. "I might not be able to run from it, but I can certainly hide." I said making my way over to the cupboard. I clambored inside the tight space, closing the door behind me.

"You can go ahead and die in there for all I care. The choice is yours." I heard Michael's muffled voice. "I've gotta go check up on my other hybrid children. By the way, I'll be assigning you another cyborg. The one we have now is supposed to look after Clare. Caring for both of you might be such a handful that he'll malfunction."

"Good! I don't like Crystal!" I shouted. "He took me away from my friends...He took me away from my Brian."

I pulled my knees up to my chest and rocked gently back and forth trying to ease the pain in my shoulder blades. Nothing seemed to be working. I let my mind wander far away as I let myself drift in the fever. God I missed Brian. I missed Freddie and John too, but Brian and I have been inseparable over these past two years. I just can't believe I'm not with him right now. I imagined him rightfully calling me an idiot and knocking on the cupboard door warning me that I'd suffocate if I stayed in here too long.

"Roggie?" Clare called as she tapped on the door. "Please open up. I just want to talk to you." Just hearing her voice, I imagined the old Clare, the one I was supposed to protect. I failed her. Now she was a sleaze and I would never forgive myself. I hesitantly opened the door ajar, meeting her eyes through the small crack. "What do you want?"

"C'mon, Rog. Don't be like this. Please. We want what's best for you." Clare stuck her hand in the crack managing to pry the door open. I noticed that her nails were much sharper than I remembered, almost like claws. I looked down at my own fingernails, recalling Freddie complaining about a scratch I gave him during sex. Was I really becoming a monster?

Clare managed to squeeze herself in next to me. Her wings had to be bent so both of us could fit properly. She shut the door before I could, assuring that we could talk privately. "I missed this. Hanging out just you and I."

"You can't make me take that potion, Clare." I saw through her tricks. "If anyone should realize that it's you."

"You'd rather die? I know it's not much of a choice, but at least consider it. Please. I don't want you to die, Roger." She begged. "I missed you so much. I've thought about you nonstop for these past two years. I told Dad to send Crystal out to find you. He and Mom both thought you were dead, but I didn't give up hope."

Part of me wished that Clare hadn't cared about me so much, so Crystal never would have found me. But I couldn't be mad at her. Apparently this shit would have happened to me anyway and it would have killed me. "Why is Crystal so different from the other cyborgs?" I questioned. "He seems human."

"He's a special rare prototype that's primarily human. There's a handful of them designed to care for hybrids like us. He belongs to Dad, but he's been assigned to care for me. Mom named him Chris but I deemed him Crystal. He really did take good care of me when I molted and was forced to take the potion. He found me doll clothes and arranged a shoebox for me to sleep in and he helped me learn how to fly. I know you don't wanna trust us, but we really do want what's best for you. I want things to go back to the way they were, and once we get past this hurdle and you survive the transformation, everything will be good again. Our lives can go back to normal. You can still go to dental school and everything just like you planned. Things here work almost the same way as they do in the human world. I even still have to go to high school."

"Let me guess you have classes in maths, literature, and eliminating the human race." I sassed.

"No, just a class on enslaving them." She said without a hint of joking.

"You're being indoctrinated, Clare. I thought you were smarter than this. How can you let them get into your head like that? Mom is human. So are all of your friends." I cried. ' _And my family of misfits'_ I thought dejectedly.

"I don't have a choice, Roger. This is our life now. So you either have to accept it or die in a cupboard." Clare said sharply. "Listen, the potion is not the end of the world. It was the worst experience of my life and I still have nightmares about being so tiny. But at the end of the day Crystal kept me safe. I'd trust Crystal with my life, and you should too. I bet you two will get along very well if you just give him a chance."

"Crystal is a cyborg who kidnapped me and my friends, so don't expect me to suddenly become his BFF. He basically ruined my life. Now I might never see my Brian again...or Fred and Deaky."

Clare sighed. "I'll tell you what. If you agree to take the potion and keep yourself alive, I'll track down your Brian and your friends and make sure you're all reunited and safe. How does that sound?"

"How the hell are you going to find them, Clare? Freddie could be anywhere. Crystal said something about John being in an engineering sector. As for Brian...I don't even know if he's still alive with the way Crystal spoke." I couldn't lose him, not on top of everything else. It was too much for me. I just wish I could have told him the truth about how I felt before we were parted forever.

"Are you forgetting that I'm a secret badass. I've got plenty of resources including Crystal. Don't you worry. I'll get your Brian back and you can stop your bitching. Now the other two...What were their names again? John and Freddie?"

"Brian May, John Deacon and Freddie Mercury. Clare, if you're serious about saving them, then I swear I'll take the potion. You have my word."

"I'll hold you to that." Clare said. "Now let's get out of here. It's way too stuffy and cramped for me." She knocked open the cupboard door with her wing and gracefully flew out. I eyed her as she was airborne. Would I be able to fly too? Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

It took me much longer to leave my hiding spot because I was still in a lot of pain. By the time I finally caught up to Clare who was talking to Crystal, I was winded and needed to lie down. Crystal carried me back to my room and tucked me into my bed. "Try to rest. Don't use up so much energy." He placed a cup by my bedside and I recoiled. But before I could purposefully knock it over, Crystal assured me. "It's just water. I won't force you to take the potion, but I'm telling you that it'll lower your chances of death significantly."

"T-Thanks." I murmured, taking a sip of the cool water.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. I want us to be friends. I don't have too many friends. In fact I think Clare is my only one." He said.

"Why'd you have to take Brian and John?" I cried.

"Roger, if I had left you there with them, your condition only would have gotten worse until you dropped dead. It's statistically impossible for hybrids to survive the change while on Earth. Our bases are designed to imitate the environment of the home planet, so you have your best shot staying here with us." He explained. "John is alright. His status reads as alive and healthy. He's likely assigned to some coding station working on fixing malfunctioning cyborgs. Freddie's status also reads as alive and healthy, but he's been claimed as Mary Austin's mate. Clare claims she's already forming a plan to get both of them back to you safe and sound, and I wouldn't underestimate her."

"And what about Brian? Please tell me if he's okay!" I pressed.

"I can't track your Brian. I'm sorry. I don't know what they'll do to him when they find him. There's a chance he'll be spared. I'm sorry. Roger, you have to believe that it was the only way to save you. Your Brian wouldn't have let me take you here." Crystal said.

"Why the hell do you and Clare keep calling him that anyway? He's not mine. He's his own person." ' _I wish he was mine.'_ I thought.

"He wasn't claimed by you? Who does he belong to then?" Crystal inquired. "I've never heard of a free agent Brian."

"What the hell are you saying? Brian doesn't belong to anyone." I replied, wincing through another burst of pain. Brian might be dead anyway. So what did it matter? "Screw it, get me the potion!"

"Are you sure?" Crystal asked.

"I told Clare I would and I doubt this pain will be going away anytime soon. I might as well take my chances." I decided.

"You're making the right choice, Roger. I promise that I'll ensure that you don't get hurt. You'll be under my watchful eye the entire time. I'll try to make you as comfortable as possible through the whole ordeal." Crystal vowed. He sounded genuine, and I wanted to believe him. It wasn't his fault he was a stupid robot. If Clare could trust him, then so could I, but he was definitely not my friend.

I eyed the neon green liquid skeptically. "Green like a lizard, huh?" I mused. "You sure this shit won't kill me?"

"The girls' potion is golden like the wings of a swallowtail. Same thing. You might still die, but drinking this will make that possibility a lot less likely and it will get rid of all of your pain." He told me.

Taking the cup in my hand made it feel more real. I hesitated before bringing it to my lips. "A-And how long will it last again?"

"Anywhere from a day to a week." Crystal stated.

A week? I could be tiny for an entire week? How the hell would I survive that long without getting crushed or mistaken for a bug and squashed?

"It's okay to be nervous, Roger. Don't worry. You'll be in good hands...literally." Crystal assured me.

A week of being carried around and handled like a doll. Oh God! What the hell was I doing? I just wanted the pain to end, but not at the expense of my dignity. "Will I shrink right away?" I asked apprehensively.

"From what I've found when being assigned to help hybrids, the calmer you are, the less likely you are to experience any side effects. If you're able to keep your heart level low and not panic, you might only lose a few inches. If you freak out like Clare did, you'll shoot down to under a foot faster than a rocket. It's rare to stay your same height, but if you meditate and focus on not raising your heartbeat, then you might not get as small so quickly."

"So stay calm." I listened to his advice. Think calming thoughts. What kept me calm? Cars...No, that got my heart racing. Brian's voice. Now that was something that could calm me so easily. I thought of him holding me and singing to me as I fell asleep. I would never find another way to feel so at peace.

"I'm calm. Here goes nothing." I said. "Wish me luck." I took one last look around the room, memorizing the proportions of everything around me. Then I gulped down the green liquid from the cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAH!! What's worse than another cliffhanger? 2020. 
> 
> Corona, killer bees, and now hurricane season is starting early with tropical storm Arthur! Keep yourselves alive and I'll see you next time!


	6. I Want to Break Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie finds Roger.

_ Freddie’s POV _

“The database was recently updated with the latest capture. A human going by the name of John Richard Deacon has been assigned to the engineering sector here in the London base. Status: Alive and healthy.” Phoebe stated. “I’m sorry Freddie.”

They captured my precious Deaky. John had his entire life ahead of him, but now the sleaze would force him to work until he dropped from exhaustion. “I need to get him out of there. Phoebe, darling, is there any way you can unlock the door?”

“I’m afraid not. The lock panel only recognizes the touch of an alien antenna or tail. Mistress Mary keeps me locked in as well.” He sighed. “I don’t get to go out much.”

“There must be some other way out. I have to get to my Deaky. He needs me.” I cried.

“Unless you can convince Mistress Mary to let you go, I don’t have any ideas on how you can get to the engineering sector.” Phoebe shook his head. “Besides the cyborgs guarding the sector will scan you and see that you lack the higher level mathematical skills to enter as a worker and you don’t have granted access from the order. Be grateful that John is alive, and his status is healthy as of now.”

“I can’t let Deaky down. I love him too much to allow this to happen.” It was true and I felt it deep in my heart. John was the real love of my life, but he was clueless. I chose to keep it that way. Now he was in danger anyway. We might never see each other again. So there was no point in denying or hiding my feelings any longer. When I found Deaky I would tell him I love him. Even if I spent the rest of my life trying to get out of here to reach him.

“My programming technically makes me incapable of feeling love, but my malfunction overrides that issue. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been in love before.” Phoebe seemed lost in thought.

“Darling, you'll know it when you feel it. It’s not something you have to think about. It comes from your heart, not your brain.” I told him.

How contrasting to the wondrous topic of love and all its beauty and nuance was an enormous tarantula that crawled out of the sink. Creeping its disgusting eight legs, it inched ever so closer. I nearly had a sheer heart attack. I fucking hated spiders. Regardless of what Brian said about the value of all living things, spiders were ugly nasty creatures. Somehow whenever a spider would emerge from the depths of hell, I would always have to be the one to kill it because Deaky was too soft, Brian didn’t kill, and Roger was a bigger scaredy cat than me. This was worse than your average spider however. It was a gigantic furry tarantula. I screamed and screamed, nearly crying with fear.

At last Phoebe captured the beast, containing it in a glass jar. I let out a sigh of relief. Then I hugged my savior. “Darling, you are my hero!” I kissed his cheek.

“It was no problem, Freddie.” He replied humbly.

“Now put that thing in the incinerator where it belongs.” I instructed.

“Actually, I have a better idea. I don’t think you’re going to like it, but it will help. I’m going to keep it where you can see it. Take a good look at it. Memorize its scary features. Then imagine it whenever you're with Mistress Mary. There is no way you can get aroused if your mind is preoccupied with arachnophobia.” Phoebe suggested.

“I can’t bring myself to look at that hideous monster, but I appreciate the sentiment.” I said.

Speaking of the dreaded Mary, we probably didn’t have much time left until she came home. Maybe I could break free by running past her as soon as the door opened. It was asinine but better than any other idea I could come up with at the moment.

As if on cue, the pod doors slid open. I prepared myself to sprint like mad to get out of her clutches. Only it wasn’t Mary who entered the flat. This sleaze girl was young—15 or 16 at the oldest. Her wings and antennae were painted a lovely shade of yellow.

“You’re not Mistress Mary.” Phoebe spoke the obvious.

The alien shook her head. She turned to me. “You’re Freddie, right?”

“Depends who’s asking, my dear.” I stated vaguely, unwilling to trust her. It was true though, I would go by Farrokh if my father were asking.

“Look, I spotted Mary finishing up at the beauty parlor on the way over here. She’ll be back any minute so we need to be quick. I need you to come with me. I’m gonna sneak you out. I’m Ro—“

“—Say no more, darling.” I cut her off because I knew there was no time to waste. “I want to break free more than you can imagine. Let’s get the hell out of here.” It was a major risk trusting this stranger, but my other options were equally uncomfortable.

“Well that was easier than I thought it would be.” She laughed to herself as we walked out the door. “Roger’s gonna be so happy when he sees you. Maybe you can help me find Roger’s other friends. John Deacon and a Brian May.”

I gasped. “You know Roger?” Was she an ally or was she secretly working for Mary?

Before I could get an answer, the demoness herself rounded the corner immediately spotting us. Oh shit! So much for breaking free. Mary was now sporting the cutest curlers in her hair that suited her nicely, but I couldn’t get caught up in style. Not at a critical time like this.

“How the hell did you escape?” She snarled, digging her claw like fingernails into my forearm and yanking me away from the other sleaze. “He’s too old for you anyways, honey.” She spat at the girl.

I was dragged back through the threshold, fighting against her unwavering grip. “You worthless piece of junk!” Mary screamed at Phoebe making the tall man cower. “How could you let him out of your sight?”

“Hey, loud mouth!” The girl who knew Roger suddenly called from behind us. Distracted, Mary turned around, loosening her grip. I was able to squirm out of it, noticing the cat like scratch her nails left behind.

“Try this on for size, bitch!” The girl threw some sort of reddish golden liquid into Mary’s face.

“What the hell?” Mary cried wiping off her face, but the magical liquid seemed to absorb right into her skin. I looked to the culprit curiously and saw her smirking deviously. Oh yes, this girl was indeed an ally and a mighty good one.

“You’ll pay for this!” Mary exclaimed, but as she lunged at the girl, her stature began to diminish. I did a double take as I saw my psycho girlfriend diminish in size. Her height was rapidly decreasing. Mary shrank smaller and smaller, her clothes sagging on her condensing body. Down, down, down she went until I couldn’t see her anymore because she was lost in a sea of her own clothing.

“Don’t think you’re getting away that easily.” The girl laughed reaching down into the fabric and pulling out a tiny writhing Mary. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Mary was now so minuscule she could easily fit in this girl’s hand.

“Cyborg, do something! Help me!” Mary ordered Phoebe when the girl refused to unhand her. I knew Mary was yelling, but her voice was still difficult to distinguish and was pitched much higher than normal. I was too stunned to react. Don’t get me wrong, she deserved her dosage of karma, but I did not expect that satisfying revenge would be reducing her to just a few inches tall.

“I’m sorry, Mistress.” Phoebe said. “Clare here is a hybrid and it’s against my programming to cause them any harm, so I’m afraid I can’t intervene.”

Clare? That was the name of Roger’s sweet sister. They shared a resemblance with their ocean blue eyes and unruly blonde hair, but that couldn’t be right. If Clare was a hybrid then that would make Roger one as well. There was no way that my best friend (with benefits) was half sleaze. Besides, he would have gone through that horrid transformation Phoebe had described before his 21st birthday. That was just 2 weeks away. Unless Roger’s sudden sickness was part of becoming a sleaze. He was deathly ill as Phoebe had foretold.

“Let me go!” Mary screamed up at Clare who held her like a Barbie doll.

“You want to rape my brother’s friend and bring more hybrids into this world. Do you have any idea the hell we have to go through, Mommy dearest? Would you really want to put your own child in a predicament like this?” I followed Clare’s gaze to the jar containing the tarantula. That was absolutely malicious. I found myself nodding in agreement to Clare’s silent request, laughing diabolically when she dropped the squirming sleaze into the jar and twisted the lid tightly shut.

Clare turned her back on the trapped tiny woman with a spiteful grin. “So, are you ready, Freddie?”

Roger was right about Clare. She could be as sweet as candy or as cold as ice with a drop of a hat. Note to self: Don’t fuck with this girl. Hopefully, she wouldn’t find out about my affair with Roger because she would likely be very protective of her big brother and I’d rather keep my balls intact. 

“So...Roger’s going to end up like you?” I wasn’t sure what else to say in this bizarre situation. Clare had just rescued me from Mary in the craziest way imaginable and my best friend was apparently half alien. It was a lot to take in to say the least.

“Mhmm.” She replied casually. “C’mon. Roger is waiting for us.” 

I hesitated by the door as Clare beckoned for me to follow her. “What’s the matter, Freddie?” Phoebe asked. “I thought you wanted to break free.” 

“I do, but I feel bad leaving behind that glorious wardrobe. I probably won’t be able to come back here and retrieve all my new clothes.” I sighed. 

Phoebe glanced back at Mary who was narrowly avoiding the massive spider’s pincers. “I believe that shrinking potion should last a few days. So that’s plenty of time for me to collect all of your clothes and bring them to you. I’ll have them folded for you if you’d like.”

“Would you do that for me, darling?” I squealed. “Oh Phoebe you are the absolute best! When we all get the hell out of here, I want you to come back with us and join our little family of misfits. We sleep beneath the moon and stars so you’ll be so energized.” 

Clare frowned. “I hope you’re not talking about Roger in that group of yours. He’s not leaving this base. We finally got him back. You’re not his family. I am. Besides if he leaves now, he won’t survive the molt. He needs to be here in this environment which is the closest thing to the home planet. If you cared about him at all you’d let him stay here where he belongs.” 

The molt! Oh no! If Roger was going through that horrid process, there was a chance that he wouldn’t come out alive either alien or human. “Fuck! You’re right, Clare. Whatever keeps him alive. I just want him to be alright. Ideally I’d want us all to be together, but if Roger has to stay here in order to survive, I won’t protest.” 

“Hey, nobody said you can’t stay with us. My father is a high ranking official in the order, so that makes us fairly wealthy. He has the power to keep you and Roger’s other friends safe. Of course in theory you’d have to become our slaves, but it wouldn’t be anything like that in practice. The order just wouldn’t let you live with us otherwise. You need to have a purpose.” Clare offered. 

“If may request,” Phoebe spoke up, “would it be possible for Sir Taylor to transfer my services from Mistress Mary. I would much rather work for the Taylors.” 

“Of course you can be assigned to us. We’re looking for an additional cyborg to look after Roger through the transformation. I’m sure you’ll get along great with Crystal. Now let’s go! I promised Roger I’d get his friends back and I don’t want my brother thinking I’m a liar.” 

***

The Taylor household was much nicer than the flat Mary had me confined to. There were so many rooms to explore, it was almost like a manor. Roger told me that despite being raised by a single mom, financial concerns hadn’t been an issue for them because his father had left behind large sums of money before disappearing. So he was able to attend a high end college preparatory school and was even given an expensive car for his 17th birthday. If we hadn’t crossed paths in the apocalypse I probably would have turned my nose to him thinking he was one of those perfect looking guys who was snobbish and conceited. To be fair, Roger acted entitled at times, but the three of us were able to put him in his place pretty well. Now I couldn’t imagine my life without that arrogant cute blonde who had worked his way into my heart with his silly jokes and enthusiasm for all things rock and roll. 

I found Roger curled up on the couch next to another man with long dark hair. They were playing with a toy car and Roger’s blue eyes were lit up with excitement as he fiddled with the wheels. It was such a relief to see Roger so animated again. His movements were fluid, without any winces or disgruntled looks of pain. If I didn’t know any better I would say he was 100% cured. Maybe there was nothing to worry about and Roger would stay himself and not mutate into a sleaze. I could only hope. “Oh and we’ll make it a four wheel drive!” Roger proclaimed. “Can you do that, Crystal?” His attention was so fixated on the mini car in his hand that he hardly noticed me walk in. Why was I not surprised? Roger loved his cars, even toy ones. 

Clare smiled. “I knew you two would get along. Look here, Rog, I’ve got a surprise for you!” 

Roger finally looked up and gasped when his blue eyes met mine. “FREDDIE!” He dropped the car and came running to me. Just yesterday, Roger couldn’t move from the loft. Now he was sprinting toward me, nearly knocking me down with such force in a momentous hug. “I’ve missed you!” 

“Oh darling, I’m so happy to see you like your old self again. You seem so much better.” I exclaimed, embracing the blonde, for a long time until we both felt comfortable parting. 

“How did you manage this, Clare?” Roger bounced with giddiness. “Are you going to find Brian next?” 

“What about John?” I cried. “You need to find them both, darling. Please. Bring them back to us.” 

“I’ll try my best. Your Brian might be harder to track than John, but I won’t let you down. Just give me a chance to work my secret badass skills. I’m sure Freddie can testify that they’re pretty awesome. You two probably have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll go work on getting John back and filling out the forms for Dad to claim Freddie and...you want to be called, Phoebe, right?”

“Yes ma’am. Would you respect that please. I like having a name.” The cyborg smiled at me. 

“Of course. Cyborgs and humans are treated equally here...unless Dad’s around, but he’s only here for business matters and doesn’t stick around too often. So you have nothing to fear so long as you’re with us.” Clare assured us. 

“You’re the best, Clare!” Roger called after her as she disappeared into another room. “I know I am.” Her voice echoed down the hall in a reply. 

“So...you’ve reunited with Clare and you’re a half alien. Always some sort of drama with you, dear.” I said taking a seat on the couch next to the man Roger was with. 

“Like you’re one to talk, Fred.” Roger rolled his eyes. “Now don’t be rude and introduce yourself to my new friend, Crystal. He’s helping me build a toy car that functions like a real one.”

“Crystal is a girl’s name.” I remarked. “I like you already, darling. The name’s Freddie Mercury. Wonderful to meet your acquaintance. That is my friend Phoebe, also a cyborg with a girl’s name. You two already have so much in common!” 

“Winifred named me Chris, but Clare renamed me Crystal. I have instructions to look after her, so she has the ultimate say.” He replied. 

Before I could say anything else, Roger squished his way in between us on the couch. He picked up the toy car again. “So can we turbocharge it? Carla had a turbocharged engine. I want my new smol car to have one too so I can go really really fast.” 

“I don’t know. Putting together a turbocharger that tiny might be difficult, but the four-wheel drive is definitely possible.” Crystal analyzed the car. They sure were putting a lot of thought into a ridiculous toy, but I suppose with Roger’s fascination with cars it meant more to him than just a play thing. 

“Aw man! I bet Deaky could figure out how to turbocharge it. He knows more about engines than I do.” 

My heart skipped a beat when Roger mentioned Deaky. Clare had found me so easily and took care of Mary without much thought. I had been on the run from that bitch for years and with the flick of a wrist, Clare solved all my problems. Surely she could rescue Deaky from being overworked as an enslaved engineer. Then all we had to do was find Brian, and we’d all be back together. The only thing I had to worry about now was facing my fears of owning up to my feelings. I couldn’t hide the truth from John any longer. I would tell him that I loved him and face rejection, but he had the right to know that I wanted to be so much more than friends. If John didn’t feel the same way, I would accept his friendship of course and not pressure him to do anything else. It would break my heart, but at least I could have some of John to some capacity. 

Roger was chattering about his new car with Crystal when all of a sudden, he went quiet. I knew something was wrong. “Roger, dear? What’s the matter?” 

“Um, Freddie, do you mind standing up?” He fidgeted nervously with the throw pillow, not looking me or Crystal directly in the eye. 

“Are you feeling okay? Feverish?” I knew it was too good to be true for Roger to have cured so miraculously after being on the brink of death. I put my hand to his forehead, but it was nice and cool. 

“Y-Yeah..just um...stand up.” He stammered. 

I shrugged and rose to my feet. Roger followed. He took one look at me and then he cursed. I had no idea what was going on, but if Roger wasn’t sick anymore, he was likely going into one of his temper tantrums. 

“Hey Rog, just try to stay calm.” Crystal warned. “Remember what I said. If you don’t raise your heart rate too much, you can slow down the shrinking or prevent it altogether. Just think about your car, alright? That should help.” 

“Oh I’d like to see you staying calm if you were in my shoes, Crystal! Bullshit! I can’t prevent it. It’s already happening. Freddie is fucking taller than me.” Roger cried. 

“No need to throw a mood, darling. I’ve always been taller than you.” I reminded him. 

“No, you haven’t. You just wear heels a lot.” Roger protested. “Don’t mock my style, dear.” I replied and kicked off my platform boots revealing that I was still just a hair taller than him. “See? No difference. I’ve always been taller.”

“No you haven’t. I was taller than you before, but now I’m getting smaller!” Roger cried. “Shit! What the hell have I done? Why did I have to take that goddamn potion?” In a fit of rage, he threw the toy car onto the ground and stormed off. 

“Roger, don’t freak out or you’ll get even smaller!” Crystal chased after him.

Phoebe and I were left alone in the room. “You wouldn’t happen to know any more about that shrinking potion that Clare used on Mary?” I asked him curiously. Why else would Roger be convinced he was getting smaller? 

“The one Clare used shrinks you directly. The potion Roger took relieves the pain of the molting process and helps him survive the change. Shrinking is a possible side effect.” Phoebe explained. “And you’re wrong by the way. According to the heights marked in the database, under normal circumstances Roger is in fact taller than you, although not by much. So that means the potion is working, side effects and all. Roger’s status reads alive and molting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! Let the smol beaning commence!


	7. Cyborg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian gets his memory back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are beginning to reopen starting today, but I'm still kinda scared to leave the house and go out in public for the first time since March. 2020 is such a mood!
> 
> Anyway who's ready Freddie for another plot twist that you can probably already see coming from a mile away? LOL. Although some of you were surprised about Rog being a hybrid so maybe this one might come as a shocker too. Who knows?

_ Brian’s POV _

I blinked open my eyes, again falling victim to a faulty memory. What had happened? I struggled to recall the events from earlier. Only it seemed like I was back to square one. I couldn’t even remember my own name. My mind was an empty void like a black hole...Apparently I had a fair bit of knowledge on black holes and the vast secrets of the cosmos. So that was something, right? I waited, hoping more would come to me. Then an image flashed before my eyes. The beautiful blonde...ocean blue eyes...and ethereal smile...my love… “ROGER!” His name escaped my lips. That was all I knew: Roger Meddows Taylor, a havoc wreaking angel who had stolen my heart. Although I wasn’t sure if I had a heart to steal. I felt so empty and hollow inside, like my heart and soul were locked up in a cold steel frame. 

Where was I? I was lying flat, staring straight up at the dark metal ceiling in what seemed to be a large barren chamber. Slowly I sat up, noticing several other sleeping men and women next to me each lying in coffin-like beds that seemed to glow like the moon. 

“Cyborg 39 has been rebooted sir. Do you want to assess him?” In a darkened corner I could make out a woman with wild reddish brown hair and a pair of pink wings and pink antenna. 

Automatically I stood up, perfectly stiff. “At your service, Madam Dobson.” The words came out robotically. How did I know her? Why was I serving her? What would she make me do? 

“Good. Await your maker.” She replied. “You can only be transferred to the engineering sector once he has given you the green light. Otherwise you will need to be rebooted again.” 

My maker? What the hell? I didn’t want to meet anyone except for Roger. All I wanted was to remember who I was and to be with him. Unless Roger was my maker. Was that possible?

A tall man with neatly trimmed dark hair and hazel eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses entered the darkened chamber and approached me. Brown wings were tucked behind his back and a matching brown tail dragged across the floor as he walked. “Thank you for informing me, Anita. That will be all.” He dismissed the woman. Who was this man and why did he seem so familiar?

“Ahh, Cyborg 39, the model of July 19th, 1997. I remember you. You were always my favorite despite your glitches.” He spoke fondly to me. “You were one of the few who I donated portions of my human DNA to create you, so you are more of a son to me than the others.” The voice brought back rudimentary programming from my beta stage to the forefront of my mind. I could now scan the face of my designer and recognize him with great ease. Harold May, one of the most highly regarded electoral engineers with renowned skills in robotics. “Father.” I acknowledged. “What am I doing here?” 

“You malfunctioned and needed to be rebooted just like last time, but I doubt you remember your initial glitch and reboot. Tell me son, what do you last remember?” 

_ “Who am I, Roger?” _

_ “You’re the love of my life.” _

“Nothing.” I lied, praying he wouldn’t pick up on my slight hesitation. “I remember nothing, sir.” That was how it should be. If I malfunctioned, then my memory banks should have been wiped. This “Roger” was a glitch or a memory that should have been deleted. Too many faulty reboots and I could be deemed permanently damaged. That meant I would be stripped down to my core and utilized for spare parts. It meant death. I couldn’t risk that. 

“Do you still want to flee?” Father asked. 

What made me flee after my first reboot? Was I threatened with a permanent shutdown? Well at least now I was wise enough to play dumb in order to keep myself alive. “Why would I wish to flee, Father? I only wish to serve you. I wish to make you proud. I am your creation and bare the name May. Disobeying or fleeing would cause you embarrassment.” 

“Correct.” He replied. “Too many of my BRIANs have malfunctioned and it’s beginning to cost me my reputation, but you wouldn’t do that to me again, 39. You are my son.” 

BRIAN. Yes. That was my name. Well my unofficial name. My assigned mistress or master would call me whatever they chose, but for now I was BRIAN May. BRIAN stood for Benevolent Robotic Intelligent Alien Nanotechnology. I was the product of Dr. Harold May, designed with mainly human DNA for the repopulation and hybrid family foundation program. That set me apart from the average cyborg, but it also made me more prone to malfunctions. 

“No, I am loyal to you, Father.” I wanted to be loyal, but my curiosity about my past might get in the way of that. Was Roger a previous master? Perhaps that was why I was rebooted. I disobeyed and developed feelings I wasn’t supposed to be capable of having for a master. That was forbidden and learning to love was beyond my programming. 

“Do you remember why you fled the first time?” Father asked.

“No sir.” I replied. 

“Good. The reboot was successful and your memory files have been erased. Anita, send 39 to the engineering sector to be reprogrammed.” He ordered the alien woman. “I trust the engineers will fix any glitches and bugs that allowed your human DNA to take over your instincts last time.” 

There was my answer. I fled because my human instincts had taken over. I clung to a remnant of lost love from before...Roger. Why could I still remember him and the way I felt? I wasn’t supposed to recall anything let alone feel this way. I kept quiet and didn’t protest as Anita shut me down. I fell into a deep sleep knowing there was a chance I would be a completely different person when I woke up. But I had to face the truth: I was a cyborg and my purpose wasn’t to myself but to my creator and his species. 

_ John’s POV _

I thought the sleaze would try to torture and kill me. They didn’t. I was treated surprisingly humanely. I was confined to a small cell with a comfortable bed, a toilet, and a sink with running water and a toothbrush and toothpaste. I was let out every few hours for meal time, showering, and exercise. Other than that I was in my cell working with the few tools I was given fixing robot circuit breakers. I was never one to be a social butterfly, and it had only been a day, so the loneliness hadn’t driven me mad yet. I did miss my friends more than my heart could stand, especially Freddie, but I didn’t let it bring me down. At least I was still alive, right? 

This wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Working on the cyborgs was actually really cool. I always wanted to be an electrical engineer, so this was like a dream come true for me. Minus the whole being imprisoned by a malicious alien race thing, I really enjoyed what I was doing and found the experience fascinating. I was working with such advanced technology that I never even knew existed. There was a learning curve, but I was quick to pick up on the do’s and don’ts of alien nanotechnology. 

The cyborgs brought to me were shut down, which was jarring at first, but I told myself that they were just taking a quick nap rather than an indefinite sleep. I was surprised to learn that there were a group of humanoid cyborgs who weren’t metal and lifeless. Benevolent Robotic Intelligent Alien Nanotechnology...Wow! That name was quite a mouthful. But I didn’t want to use the common acronym. BRIAN reminded me too much of Brian and what I had lost. 

No, I wouldn’t bring myself to think about my friends and loved ones that I would probably never see again. It was too much for me to bear. I wasn’t ready to accept their absence yet. So like Princess Anna would suggest, I focused on the next right thing. In this case, that was rebelling as best as I could. What? Did you really think I’d let these aliens get away with this? They took me for everything I had and kicked me out on my own. I wouldn’t stand by as they stoned me and spit in my eye. 

Of course my tools were limited. All I could do to fight back was program the killer cyborgs to malfunction so they wouldn’t be able to take anymore innocent lives. As for the BRIANs, they were brought to my cell with specific instructions: break the virus that establishes their personality. Screw that! Instead I heightened their human senses and instincts with an emphasis on empathy, making their human side even more prevalent and their inner machine dimmed. What else could I do to help? I wasn’t sure. If I was caught meddling with the cyborgs against the order’s wishes in this manner, I would get myself killed, and the cyborgs would be stripped of their parts as well. So I was already risking a great deal. 

One thing I noticed was that the cyborgs had a live database encrypted into their CPU which gave them access to a complete list of sleazes living under the regime of the order and the captured humans. Every time I tried to extract that data for myself to look up Freddie, Roger, and Brian’s status, I hit a firewall. I would have to be as smart as Elliot from Mr. Robot to uncode it. I was good, but not that good. 

The door to my cell opened and a sleaze with pink wings and antennae pushed in a new cyborg in the moon fueled sleeper. “Take good care of this one. He’s really cute and he’s Harold’s son. So if you mess up, there will be serious consequences. You’ll find information in the sleeper.” She said and then locked me back inside.

Great. I was dealing with an alien engineer’s robot “son”. Maybe I shouldn’t fiddle with this one too much and just do what I was told for once. If I got caught reinforcing humanity on such a high profile bot, it would put us both in big, big trouble to say the least. I checked the label on the bottom of the sleeper before opening it up. 

_ Cyborg 39: Benevolent Robotic Intelligent Alien Nanotechnology  _

_ May Model July 19th 1997  _

_ Created in Lab B in Feltham Base, UK, Earth.  _

Another BRIAN. I opened the sleeper like I was unboxing a new computer rather than unveiling a lifeform. It was just too weird otherwise. I expected the same typical draconian instructions written on the inside lid above the sleeping body: Disconnect human cognitive DNA; Erase deleted memory files; Disable Learning beyond set programming, etc. Only I couldn’t look at the lid because my eyes were too busy staring in disbelief at the body lying inside of the moonstone container. No! I fell to my knees in shock, hiding a horrified scream with a hand to my mouth. 

“Bri!” I nudged the curly haired man, expecting him to stirr. This was a mistake. He was human. He’d wake up. My best friend was not a cyborg. There was no way…

The cyborgs were charged by moonlight. On stormy nights or when the moon and stars weren’t visible, Brian would grow lethargic and depressed. We always had to sleep beneath the dome in the loft allowing moonlight to flow in and Brian was energized by the morning. Brian was able to survive without eating much. He was able to maintain veganism and go for days without eating at a time while the rest of us feasting on proteins we would hunt for or steal from abandoned grocery stores. We always found it so strange that Brian was able to carry on while eating nothing but a handful of plants. But that wasn’t conclusive. 

His birthdate matched his model day and year precisely, and he hadn’t chosen the name Brian May by accident. He was a May model BRIAN created in an alien base in Feltham. I just didn’t want to believe it. How could our Brian be a part of the order that wanted to destroy us all? He was so gentle and kind. Wrapping my head around the idea nearly gave me a sheer heart attack. 

Finally, I decided to do some investigating, praying that I had made some sort of serious mistake. There had to be another explanation. So, I gingerly propped up my friend’s head, parting his thick curls so I could so the back of his head. “No!” I gasped seeing the order’s logo marked right there tattooed into the base of his neck. With teary eyes and a shaky hand, I put pressure on the spot. “I’m so sorry, Bri.” I whispered even though he couldn’t hear me. “I promise I’ll be careful.” A small chip emerged from his skin. I was literally holding Brian’s life in my hands right now. I was so overwhelmed that I could barely breathe. One false move and…I didn’t even want to think about it. I would be so cautious that my watchful eye wouldn’t let anything happen. But I had to know. Just for my own sanity. “I’m sorry.” I said again. 

From what I could see, Brian had already been rebooted twice, and the memories from the initial reboot as well as the most recent one hadn’t been erased. They were kept in a deleted file that Brian wouldn’t be able to reach. That explained why he couldn’t remember anything before the apocalypse. It felt wrong to access Brian’s memory files, like I was invading his personal privacy. Still, against my better judgement, I opened the files that had been deleted. I was expected to erase these files, but I would never do that in my right mind. 

A hologram materialized displaying Brian’s memories like a movie. When in his Beta stage, he was tasked with gathering charging resources from the moons of various planets. He didn’t interact with others much and conducted his assigned task without question, but he was able to gather knowledge about astrophysics and developed skills in guitar to keep himself occupied during long intergalactic trips. This wasn’t Brian’s designed purpose, but his “father” Harold May considered it his training. A few days prior to the invasion, Brian was upgraded for his real task of tracking down hybrids and helping them survive the molting process. This meant Brian would be spending time on Earth and dealing with humans. He didn’t need food to survive, but Harold wanted to test his capabilities if he were forced to eat in order to disguise himself as human if needed. I felt sick to my stomach when I watched through Brian’s eyes as Harold gathered raw hamburger meat. “ _ Your intestines should be stronger than that of a human. We need to see if eating raw meat will get you sick. If it does, you’ll need another upgrade that will make you immune to bacteria like e coli and salmonella.”  _

Then Brian malfunctioned. A light on the side of the chip went off signaling a glitch that allowed Brian’s human side to overpower his programming, specifically his empathy for animals. He refused to eat the meat going as far as throwing the dish into the incinerator. Harold sent him to the sector for his first reboot to fix the bug. 

The reboot seemed successful. Brian woke up in his sleeper with no memories. He didn’t even recognize Harold or knew how to scan him. “ _ You may feel disoriented, not to worry, son. You’ll get your features back in time. Tell me what do you remember?” _

_ “Nothing.”  _ Brian’s voice sounded so cold and lifeless. It scared me. He had rarely spoken in any of these files up to this point. Apart from protesting against the meat, he was quiet and didn’t talk back. 

_ “Would you be willing to consume the meat now?” _

The malfunction repeated. Again, the empathy light flickered. “ _ I cannot eat a creature who once had a life. All life is sacred.”  _ That sounded better, more like the Brian I knew and loved. “ _ You cannot make me.” _

_ “I can reboot you again so you won’t remember you ever felt this way. I’ll continue to reboot you until you cooperate or else I’ll be forced to strip you to your core and use your materials for spare parts.”  _

I gasped when Brian had the nerve to strike his father. I didn’t know Brian was capable of hitting anyone. He was such a pacifist and would use his words. Harold seemed caught off guard as well. Brian used that as an opportunity to run. He sprinted to the door which was locked. The same sleaze who had brought him here--the one with curly hair and pink wings tried to stop him. Brian pushed her up against the wall and kissed her seemingly out of nowhere. The sleaze blushed. “Oh my! That was--” Brian took advantage of her stunned reaction and slammed her head against the panel. The touch of her antennae unlocked the door. Two malfunctioning lights were blinking madly at this point: Fear and anger. Those were two strong human emotions that Brian shouldn’t have been capable of.

_ “SOMEBODY STOP HIM!”  _ Harold yelled. 

When a sleaze guard flew down in front of Brian trying to thwart him, Brian punched him out and ripped a spike off of his tail leaving the alien man bleeding. He used the stolen portion of the tail to unlock the pod leading to the outside world. 

I watch him run far away from the base. The further he got from his creator and captors, the less the fear and anger lights blinked. Eventually, he bumped into me in the woods, and I knew the rest of the story quite well. I couldn’t help but smile melancholically when the sight of me set off Brian’s empathy light. I paid less attention now because I knew very well what was going to happen from here. Instead I focused on Brian, who was nothing more than an empty shell now that I had taken his CPU. The more I stared down at him, the more I saw our Brian again, and not a cyborg. He would always be our Brian no matter what. The four of us belonged to each other. We were a family, and nothing would change that. 

I casted my eyes back to the hologram again when I noticed that a new malfunction light had gone off for a banned emotion: attraction. What the hell? I wondered what that could be all about. Brian was curled up next to Roger, pointing out all the constellations in the night sky. Ahh. That made sense. I always had a feeling Brian was secretly attracted to the stars the same way Roger was in love with cars. 

_ “What’s your favorite planet, Bri?”  _ Roger drawled. 

_ “Umm..Hmm…”  _ Roger’s big blue eyes became the focus of the hologram as he gave the question some thought. “ _ You know I’m going to say Neptune.”  _

_ “That’s random.”  _ Roger laughed.  _ “Why Neptune?”  _

_ “It reminds me of your eyes. They’re beautiful by the way. Like little blue planets in and of themselves.”  _ The attraction light was flashing out of control as Roger blushed. Then it died down to steady dim when the blonde looked away shyly. 

_ “You wanna know what my favorite planet is?”  _ Roger raised his eyebrows with a knowing smile.

_ “Let me guess…” _ Brian deadpanned. 

“ _ URANUS!”  _ Roger exploded with laughter so hard he nearly fell from the loft.

“ _ WILL YOU BITCHES PLEASE KEEP IT DOWN! SOME OF US NEED OUR BEAUTY SLEEP!” _ Freddie shouted from the loft below. 

I spotted myself, snuggled next to him with my eyes shut. Why was he holding me so closely like that? My heart skipped a beat. We only had two beds in the owl observatory, so it was normal for us to share like that. It never meant anything. Just like Brian and Roger on the loft above us. I couldn’t let myself be fooled. The focus of the hologram was on the night sky and stars with Roger curled snoring softly next to Brian, which made sense because this was all from the cyborg’s perspective. Still, I heard something out of focus. “Goodnight, Deaky, my love.” Brian had picked up on it, but he didn’t react. 

I was stunned, unsure of what to think. Freddie might actually be in love with me after all. Was that possible? Why me? I was a plain virgin boy. From what I understood Freddie had been with all sorts of handsome men who were experienced and skilled in the art of sex. I was nothing compared to them. Sex was a nothing more than hobby for Freddie. He claimed he did it to pleasure himself and for the most part there were no feelings attached when it came to his various partners. So maybe this was more of an emotional thing? If it was, then I certainly felt special. Or perhaps I was looking into this too much. Freddie was flirty and probably didn’t mean anything by it.  _ “Deaky, my love…”  _ I shuddered. If only I was awake to hear those words in real time. Why did I have to be such a heavy sleeper and miss out on such a miraculous moment that I likely would never be able to witness?

Where was Freddie? Who even knew what the sleaze were doing to him right now, if they even kept him alive. 

“Next right thing.” I reminded myself. “Don’t think too far ahead.”

Brian’s love and compassion toward animals was what activated his human side to begin with. I wanted to guarantee we wouldn’t lose our friend. It was wrong of me to mess with what was essentially his mind, but I tweaked the chip to escalate his sympathy toward all creatures including our furry friends. Then, I restored his memories: all of them. When Brian woke up, he would remember his identity. For better or for worse he would be aware that he wasn’t human. He had a right to know. 

I wasn’t forbidden from turning the cyborgs back on when I was done with my maintenance. In fact it was recommended so I could interact and make sure there weren’t any additional glitches. Until now I had skipped that final step because I was too afraid to wake them up. Instead, I just put them back into their sleepers and rang the bell above the pod door signaling for a sleaze to come retrieve them. Of course, I was aware that I was being watched by a constant camera. So if I wanted to talk to Brian, I couldn’t say anything incriminating. Still, I clicked the moonbeam charger I was given to restart his systems. 

_ Brian’s POV _

A surge of memories flashed before my eyes. I didn’t want to believe any of them were true, but I couldn’t deny it either. I was a cyborg. I was programmed and worked for the order, the very same organization of sleazes that had invaded the earth and destroyed the lives of my friends who I had come to think of as my family. In reality, I was actually the son of my creator, Harold May, who had donated a portion of his humanoid DNA to build me. Would Freddie, John, and most importantly Roger ever look at me the same way if they were to ever find out? I couldn’t lose them. Not after everything we’d been through. I would have to keep this part of myself a secret and pretend that my memory was still lost. 

“Brian?” Deaky was looking me over with concern in his grey green eyes. Oh God! If he knew, the concern would surely shift to contempt. Regardless, I was just relieved to see my best friend again after the capture. “John!” I exclaimed. “Are you alright?” I hugged him, but tried to do it gently, afraid of my own strength. 

“Bri, I won’t break. It’s alright. I miss your hugs.” He assured me.

“You don’t understand.” I sighed. “John, I’m not...I’m not what you think I am. You’re all going to hate me.”

“We could never hate you, Brimi. You’re our family. You’re our Brian and we love you.” Deaky said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a cyborg. You could be a sleaze and we would still accept you.”

I gasped. “You know?” 

“And it doesn’t change anything.” He offered me a warm smile. 

“Now I need to test your features.” John’s tone shifted dramatically. He sounded colder and more official. Yet his smile still stayed on. He discretely gestured to a camera in the corner of the room. 

Shit! I should have known we were being watched. Kudos to the brilliance of Deaky, picking up on something that was missed by what was supposed to be an advanced artificial intelligence. I sure didn’t feel like a machine. Sure I had all this new knowledge at my fingertips, but my only concern right now was the wellbeing of my friends and Roger. Roger! He was the only thing I remembered after my second reboot. That had to be significant, right? Why Roger? He was my best friend, but he drove me crazy. There were others I could have remembered like Freddie and Deaky or the badgers I had come across on Earth. Oh those sweet little badgers. I missed them so much. Almost as much as I missed Roger. 

“Let’s make sure you still have access to the database.” Deaky winked. “Search for Freddie Mercury please.”

I was able to scan the human database faster than the speed of light. “Freddie Mercury. Currently residing in the London Base. Claimed by Michael Taylor for the purpose of entertaining the Taylor family. Status: Alive and healthy.” The words came automatically. It took a moment for me to comprehend what I had just revealed. “Freddie’s alive and he’s here somewhere in the London Base! There must be a way we can reach him.” 

“Yeah but he’s a slave to a sleaze family. What kind of entertainment could they want from him?” Deaky as fearfully. “What if they’re torturing him?”

“We don’t know that for sure. Freddie was likely scanned for his talent and that was why he was kept alive. For all we know he’s just putting on a show, maybe even his usually strip club routine. Freddie loves to entertain people even if it’s aliens, he’s probably still having a good time.” I reasoned. Why not try to be positive? Plus I had this information available on what the sleazes were interested in. Curiously I reviewed Freddie’s status finding that he had been bought from a breeder named Mary Austin who had wanted nothing more than Freddie to impregnate her. I didn’t share this with John because he was already freaked out about Freddie’s wellbeing. There was no need to scare him anymore with that nightmarish scenario. Poor Freddie. 

“Okay. Let’s test one more name just to be sure.” Again Deaky spoke with his fake voice, and I understood what he was trying to get across to the cameras. “Roger Meddows Taylor.” 

My love! Wait what? No. Absolutely not. I couldn’t love...or could I? I was capable of things beyond my programming. Did I love Roger? What did being in love feel like? How would I know? I had no business speculating about any of this. So I searched the human database for his name. “He’s not there.” I realized. This was a good thing. It meant that they hadn’t captured him and he was still safe in the observatory. 

“Are you sure?” John asked again. 

I did a broader search pertaining to the entire order, not just humans specifically. The name came up, but he wasn’t marked as a human. “Roger Meddows Taylor. Currently residing in the London Base. Status: Alive and molting.” 

“I’m sorry did you say molting? What the hell does that mean?” Deaky cried. 

“It’s the process that hybrids go through in their late adolescence to reach their true form.” Again, the words flowed robotically. Then I paused to consider them. “Roger is a hybrid!” I cried. “That explains why he was so sick. The poor thing was molting.” From what I gathered the process was painful and could prove to be fatal. With that in mind, I wanted nothing more than to cuddle Roger and shield him from that agony so he’d always be protected. 

“Roger’s a hybrid.” John repeated. “So that means...he’s half sleaze.” 

“I doubt he even knew. The change occurs suddenly and out of nowhere. Most hybrids spend their childhood and teenage years on earth believing they are human before returning to the home planet or a base for a hopefully successful transformation.” I explained. 

The statistics I was able to collect were not in Roger’s favor. Without a special potion, hybrid mortality rate could be as high as 90%. I looked up more information on this supposed potion. If Roger made it here safely, they’d give it to him, right? What I found was just as troubling. The potion males could take was made partially with lizard DNA, and some of the side effects were gruesome. His skin melting off, his lungs imploding, his tongue falling out… Thankfully most of these were very rare. The most common side effect was temporarily shrinking down to the size of a small lizard around 3-6 inches in height. A lot of hybrids died from just being so small because they couldn’t keep warm enough. Of course there were common accidents as well like being squashed or eaten by a larger creature. I would die for any animal, but if a critter went after my tiny helpless Rog, I wouldn’t regret having to hurt it in order to save him.

I’d do anything for Roger even if it meant harming an animal, something I would never do under any other circumstance. Roger was my everything. It was like I was already programmed to have him as my master. Or maybe I was feeling this way because I loved him after all. Could I love Roger? What did one even do with these romantic feelings? I wasn’t sure. Emotions were tricky because they weren’t always reciprocated. I believed I was in love with Roger, but for all I knew he didn’t love me back. I could barely grasp my own feelings let alone wonder what he thought of me. 

“I have an idea!” John blurted. “I’m allowed to program you to an assigned master. Michael Taylor has a request available for a BRIAN to care for his son. That has to be Roger, right? Should we take the risk?”

I searched for information on Michael Taylor. He was a political organizer for the order’s hybrid program and had fathered over 39 hybrids. Roger Meddows Taylor and Clare Taylor were listed as his children. If John’s hunch was correct, then I would be sent to care for Roger during his transformation process. I wanted to be reunited with Roger more than anything, but I was taking a chance. I could end up with another one of Michael’s children and not Roger. It was a choice I was willing to make regardless. If John didn’t assign me somewhere, my fate would be determined by someone else who I didn’t trust. 

“I say it’s worth the risk, Deaky. Let’s do it!” I exclaimed. 

“Alright.” He agreed. “I’m going to shut you down so I can add the assignment to your programming. Then you’ll be shipped in your sleeper to Michael’s son. Let’s pray it’s Roger. You won’t know until you wake up.” 

***

_ John’s POV _

I wasn’t sure if I did the right thing. I had no way of knowing where Brian was being sent and if this son of Michael Taylor was Roger or not. I wouldn’t be able to contact Brian and find out if he made it there safely. There was nothing I could do. Now I was back to square one. All alone, working on cyborgs in my cell all day long. 

“I wish you were here, Freddie.” I spoke to myself because I was going slightly mad. “I miss your shy smile and the way you always treated me so kindly like I was the love of your life. If only I really was the love of your life because you’re mine.” I finally succumbed to my tears and curled in my bed, yearning for Cinnabon who wasn’t here to comfort me. What was I going to do? I was pathetically in love with my best friend while trapped in solitude in an alien engineering sector. 

Suddenly the door opened and an unfamiliar sleaze walked in. He was tall with messy dark hair and an untrimmed beard. His wings were silver. I knew he wasn’t just here for the typical cyborg delivery because he lingered in the threshold for far too long and he wasn’t dragging in a sleep. “John Richard Deacon?” He asked in a raspy deep voice. 

“B-Born on August--”

“--I don’t need your fucking life story, you dumb human. Is that your name or not?” He snapped. 

“Y-Yessir.” I sniffled. 

“Well now you belong to me. You are my slave now. For some reason my daughter requested another filthy human around the manor, but I figured we could always use a mechanic and I don’t live there anyway. If purchasing more BRIANs and slaves will get her to stop bothering me, I’ll do it. So you are to reside in my gooside manor and to do precisely what my daughter asks of you. She is in charge of you. Do you understand?” 

Gooside manor? Was that the sleaze version of a lakeside manor? Well I was about to find out whether I liked it or not. It was not like this man was giving me any choice. Hopefully his daughter was kinder than him. Forcefully escorted by armed cyborgs, we exited the engineering sector. 

A young female sleaze was waiting patiently for us outside. She had short blonde hair and warm blue eyes. Her wings and antennae were yellow. The man pushed me toward her. “Alright, he’s all yours now. And I ordered you another BRIAN as well. It should be arriving in the next day or so. Are you happy now? Can I go back to work and not be bothered?”

“Wait no!” The girl tugged at the man’s jacket sleeve as he attempted to leave. “Roger said he wants a specific BRIAN, a May model I believe. I’m not too sure, but it’s really important to him. We want him to survive the change, don’t we Dad? The more success stories you have, the better it’ll be for your hybrid program. It’s an election year, remember? Another dead hybrid could cost you some swing voters and they’ll vote someone else as the new political organization leader.” 

“That’s enough, Clare! Don’t get cheeky. The BRIANs are all the same. All Roger has to do to survive is take the potion and not be stupid. How hard could it be? You managed to do it after all. Now I got you this new slave and that buck toothed one, didn’t I, you little ingrate? So please let me be. I’ve got work to do.” With that her father spread his wings and flew away, far away.

“God I hate that bastard!” Clare shrieked picking up a decorative space rock and throwing it up at him. She missed, but I was grateful. Setting off her father’s rage was not a wise idea. It looked like anger management issues ran in the Taylor family. “You’re Roger’s sister?” I acknowledged. 

“Oh yes. Clare. That’s me. You’re Deaky, right? Sorry if my father scared you. I promise you’ll be safe with us. I’m still trying to seek out the last of Rog’s group, but right now I’m 2 for 3 because I found you and Freddie. Come on! I bet you’re eager to see them.” 

“I-I’m going to see Freddie?” I nearly hyperventilated. “H-How do I look?” I combed back my hair with my hands trying to make it look neater. I didn’t know why I suddenly felt so self conscious? Maybe it was because I had come to terms with my feelings for him and wanted him to like me back. With every fiber of my being, I wanted Freddie to like me back. 

“You look adorable! Let’s go!” Clare urged. 

My heart was racing as we approached the manor. I craned my head toward the back, making out a strange pool with glowing green goo in the yard. Ahh. That’s what Michael had meant as gooside. Hopefully it wasn’t radioactive or poisonous to humans. Well either way I’d be staying clear. Inside the house, it was fairly large just as it appeared to be on the outside. 

“Make yourself at home.” Clare announced, kicking off her shoes and leaving them on the mat beside the marble floor. “Phoebe just cleaned so it might be a little slippery.” 

A tall teddy-bear like man appeared. “Did I hear you call my name, Mistress?” Clare cringed. “I’m not your mistress. I’m just Clare. Only call me that when my father is around. Why don’t you give John a tour while I try to figure out which BRIAN Roger wants me to find for him. He owes me big time for all the work I’m putting in to getting him reunited with all his friends.” 

“I am sure your brother is very grateful. Freddie is definitely grateful and he is going to freak out when he sees you, John. He’s been asking about you. The poor thing can’t stand to be separated from his lover for this long.” Phoebe said. 

I nearly choked. “W-What? I-I’m not...Freddie and I aren’t um...we’re not lovers.” I stammered feeling myself flush. 

“Oh. Sorry. He said he loved you. I must be mistaken. My apologies. Love is a difficult concept for me to grasp.” He said. “Right this way, I’ll show you to your room.” 

“You must be mistaken.” I agreed. “But that’s alright.” I followed Phoebe down the hallway. Only I paused when I heard an all too familiar voice speaking from another room. 

“...And I know I always say the bigger the better in everything, darling, but that doesn’t mean big things can’t come in small packages. There are plenty of good things that are small. Like...kittens. They’re so adorable. I love them to death. Oh and babies. Who doesn’t like cute babies?” That was Freddie alright. It was such a relief to hear his voice again. I felt at ease. No longer nervous. How could I be? It was just Freddie, and he was always a sweetheart. 

“Um...there’s shiny pearls. I don’t complain that pearls are small so long as they sparkle. Let’s see...Well going with the obvious answer, plenty of my clients and ex boyfriends have been small, and I was still able to derive some pleasure. In fact one of my client’s cocks was so small I couldn’t even find it. It was like he had an invisible dick.” Freddie chortled with laughter at the recollection. 

“You know this really isn’t making me feel any better, Freddie.” That sounded like Roger. His distinct high voice spoke smoothly, showing no signs of pain. Thank goodness! I didn’t want him to be in any more discomfort. 

I was about to announce my arrival, but then Freddie said something that shocked me. “The point is people love smol beans and find them adorable so you don’t need to worry. I mean look at Deaky. He is such a smol bean. I just love him so much!” 

Did Freddie mean that? Phoebe said he loved me. I heard him call me his love through Brian’s memory. Maybe it was real. If that was true, then...then...I’d be so happy I wouldn’t even know what to do.

“Um, hate to break it to you Fred, but Deaks is taller than both of us. He’s not a smol bean. He’s just a bean.” Roger replied. 

“I still love him.” Freddie said again. 

I decided now would be a good time to make my entrance. So I walked into the room. I found Roger lying on the bed holding a toy car while Freddie was sprawled on the floor, leaning against the bedpost. They both looked so adorable, like two boys at a sleepover. “Hi.” I said awkwardly. 

“John!” Roger gasped, rising from the bed so quickly it startled me. He was able to move so well without any signs of pain. That was fantastic! 

Before Roger could get to me, Freddie knocked him out of the way. “DEAKY!” He squealed, pulling me into his arms, and for a moment I thought I was in a dream. Freddie kissed me, his lips soft and warm. I couldn’t believe it. Was this really happening? I wanted to cry. 

“Fuck!” Freddie pulled away. “I’m so sorry, darling. Oh please forgive me. There’s no need to cry. I promise I won’t do it again. I just got carried away because I hadn’t seen you in a while. It didn’t mean anything.” 

“I-It didn’t?” I felt my heart shatter. I wiped my tears away only to shed more that weren’t tears of joy this time. 39 seconds of elation only to have the euphoria cruelly taken from me. “Oh. Yeah. I can forget about it. I um...I won’t kiss you again then. Sorry.”

“Wait what?” Freddie’s eyes widened. “Darling, do you  _ want _ to kiss me again? B-Because we could kiss again. Believe me I’d like nothing more than to just kiss you all day long. I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Again, I felt that jolt of excitement at the prospect of being kissed all day long. So it did mean something after all. “Freddie, why would you make me uncomfortable? I love you. I’ll always want to kiss you.” I admitted. 

“Me too.” Freddie replied somewhat shyly. 

“Y-You want to kiss you too?” I asked, confused by that statement. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Roger facepalming, but as far as I was concerned it was just me and Freddie. 

“No, darling. I want to kiss  _ you _ .” He pecked my lips. “I love you, you know. I’ve always loved you, Deaky. I never thought you’d want me.”

“I do want you.” I said. “More than anything. I want to be with you.”

“What the fuck?” Roger cried as Freddie got down on one knee. I gasped. This was not what I had in mind. Never in my wildest fantasy would Freddie propose, but here he was. There was no ring, but I didn’t care. “John Richard Deacon, will you be my boyfriend?” Oh. Okay. Yeah. That made more sense. I’d take it. “YES!” I exclaimed. “Yes! Of course I will, Freddie!”

“Then with Roger as my witness, we are officially dating!” Freddie proclaimed. “I’ll go have Phoebe make you a nice warm cheese toastie. You deserve it, dear.”

I hadn’t had cheese on toast in forever. It used to be my favorite snack before the apocalypse. Now of course I only had an appetite for Freddie and food was the furthest thing from my mind. That was okay though. Now that we were together, we would have all the time in the world for kissing. So I followed Roger and...my boyfriend (hehe) to the kitchen. “Say, Rog, have you gotten smaller?” I noticed. He seemed more petite than before. 

“So glad you noticed.” He harked sarcastically. “If you need me I’ll be wallowing in my cupboard.”

“Don’t mind him, dear. He needs to spend time in his cupboard to calm himself down. It’s like anger management. Whatever works to keep him from turning into an angry lizard.” Freddie remarked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roses are red. Violets are blue. Brian's a robot. And Fred's lost his shoe!


	8. You Take my Breath Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Roger are reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I really don't get why everyone loves my writing so much because it's literally chaotic! But hey it makes me so happy to write and apparently you guys enjoy it too. So here's another insane chapter full of soft Deacury goodness, smol beans, the beginnings of Maylor fluff, and lots of craziness.

_ Roger’s POV _

“Crystal, hand me that screwdriver please.” John requested. I watched with glee as the team worked on my new car. Nothing about this fucked up situation was worthwhile, but I was thrilled to be able to drive again even if it was in a toy car. ‘ _ Don’t get too excited.’  _ I reminded myself. I couldn’t let my heart speed up too much. Keep my temper leveled. That was the only way to avoid getting so small. 

“You’re just like the Hulk.” Clare giggled as she noticed me taking in long deep breaths. 

“More like Ant Man.” Deaky murmured as he continued with the car earning a chuckle from Crystal. 

I resisted the urge to make a snarky comeback or flip them off. I was happy to not be in pain anymore, but sitting still and not reacting much was killing me. I guess it was better than having to sleep in a shoebox. 

“Hey it’ll be okay, Roggie.” Clare seemed to pick up on my misery. “You’re doing way better than I did. Within 39 seconds of taking the potion, I had a panic attack and the next thing I knew I was in Crystal’s hand.” She shuddered. 

“It won’t be bad. Fitting in the cupboard will get a lot easier.” Crystal snickered and my death glare only made him laugh harder. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

“You know I think I prefer the killer robots over you.” I retorted. Crystal grinned. “Likewise.” He replied. Damn it, why did we both have to be so sarcastic and get along so well? I was supposed to hate him for ruining my life. It pissed me off that we were actually becoming friends now. No, no I couldn’t get pissed off because then I’d start shrinking. 

“So are you going to form a rock and roll band when Roger’s done molting?” Phoebe asked. “Freddie mentioned something about that.” 

“That’ll be something for you to look forward to, Rog. I know that’s always been your dream. Being a drummer in a rock band. How exciting!” Clare proclaimed. “You’ll get to tour around the bases and maybe even other planets if you’re good enough.” 

“We can’t form a band when we’re missing our guitarist.” I sighed. “Are you sure Bri is on his way and it’s really him?” I would feel so much better when Brian got here and the four of us were finally all together again. He’d put me at ease, and I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. 

“I had him shipped to one of Michael’s sons and according to the database, you’re the only one going through the change right now. So it has to be you.” Deaky said. 

“I sure hope so.” I said. “I miss the hell out of that fucker. He better get here soon before he gets even taller.” 

“Brian won’t be any taller than normal.” Deaky stated. “You’ll be sm--”

“--I know.” I cut him off, not in the mood to come to terms with what was happening to me. “Just don’t talk about that right now, okay? Where’s Fred? He’s been in the other room for a while. What’s he up to?”

“We never know with him do we?” John smiled. 

“So you two are like seriously in love?” I knew I was there to witness their heartfelt declarations earlier, but this was my first time getting a chance to talk to one of the lovebirds without the other one glued to his side giving him googly eyes, cuddles, kisses, and even more words of love. 

“Yeah.” Deaky blushed and said nothing else, looking down at his lap shyly. Well that was all I was going to get out of him. I’d have to talk to Freddie for more details. It wasn’t surprising at all that the two finally hooked up. 

I was aware that Freddie was fantasizing about John when he was with me. Several times, he had called out John or Deaky, but I never corrected him. Why would I? I was guilty of doing the same thing. In my mind, I wasn’t having sex with Freddie whenever we got together. It was pretty goddamn obvious who I was thinking of. I even made Freddie wear a mop on his head, and would tug at it, pretending the curls were real. Brian was oblivious to the way I felt, and now I understood why. He was a cyborg, so love wasn’t really his priority. I wish I had known that before I had fallen so deeply, but now there was nothing I could do. 

My sex life was pretty much on hold anyway, so I wouldn’t be needing Freddie’s skills for the time being. It was best that he moved on to someone who he really loved. I didn’t blame him at all. I’d ditch him for Brian in a heartbeat. We both understood that unspoken rule of our agreement. I never thought I could still remain friends with someone I had a casual sleeping relationship with, but Freddie would always be my best friend. That was just how our relationship worked. It broke all the conventional rules. 

“Well I’m happy for you two. You have my blessing.” I told John sincerely. 

“Thanks, Rog. I’m glad to hear that.” He replied. 

“Are you ready, my darlings?” Freddie dramatically waltzed into the room. “Prepare to be dazzled by my talent!” 

“Ready Freddie!” Deaky giggled. 

“Ta-Da!” He unveiled a series of handcrafted doll clothes that were rather revealing to say the least. Honestly, I would probably wear them without shame if they were normal sized, but I didn’t draw that much attention to myself when I was tiny. This was all so embarrassing. “Aren’t they the cutest little things in the world? Oh Rog is going to look so adorable in them. I can’t wait!” He squealed. 

I was mortified, imagining him dressing me like a little doll. Fuck my life. “No Freddie! I’m not gonna need those.” I inhaled and exhaled. “See? I got this deep breathing thing down. So I won’t be getting any smaller.”

“Sure, darling.” Freddie didn’t sound very convinced. “That is a very funny way of saying thank you, dear. I sewed those from scratch in a matter of hours. I could have just let you enjoy Clare’s dolly frocks instead. I’m sure you would like that better too. You’d look so pretty. Dressing in drag is always fun.”

“Wait...you’ve done drag before?” Why was I not surprised? He was a gay musical prostitute after all. Everyone told me I looked like a girl, but I was too scared to try dressing in drag. What if I ended up liking it? Or worse what if I looked better as Rogerina than as Roger? 

“Of course I’ve done drag, darling. Let me tell you, it would drive my clients wild! I was one sexy bitch!” Freddie strut like a runway model trying to demonstrate what he was talking about. 

“Oh stop being so cocky. I bet I’d make a better looking bitch than you, Fred.” I challenged. 

“Oh no! Ladies please, you’re both beautiful. Let’s not turn this into a season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” Crystal interjected. 

_ Riiiipp.  _ I thought I would feel more pain when I heard the sudden noise, but it went unnoticeable thanks to the dumb potion. I turned my head awkwardly in time to see the tips of pointy blue spikes that had ripped a hole in my trousers. Great, my tail was growing. 

“Oh dear I forgot to cut little holes for your wings and tail.” Freddie sighed as Deaky openly stared at my deformity. 

“What?” I demanded of my quiet friend who gawked at me. 

“N-Nothing.” John squeaked. “I just um...it’s a nice tail.” 

Ugh! This was so humiliating. What was Brian going to think of this? I knew he had his own issues being a robot and all, but at least he was still hot. By the end of this I’d be a dragon. I doubt he or any humans would find me attractive. The only up sides were I’d be back to my normal height and I’d be able to fly. Focusing on the positives helped me stay calm. ‘ _ Just don’t think about getting tiny and it won’t happen.’  _

“As soon as your wings sprout a bit more you can go for some flying lessons!” Clare proposed. 

“I don’t know about that, Clare. We should wait until Roger is in the clear. Doing any sort of strenuous activity could progress his shrinking.” Crystal warned.

“Well I got to learn how to fly early.” She bragged. “You’re kinda forced to when you’re that small. There was no way in hell I was going to climb everywhere.” 

“Was it really that bad being a smol bean?” Deaky asked.

Freddie cooed. “I love the way you say that, darling. Guess what? You would know because you’re a smol bean too! And that makes me very happy.”

John flushed slightly. “But I’m 5’11. How does that make me a smol bean?” 

“See? I told you he was taller than you!” I insisted. 

Freddie ignored me and wandered over to John’s chair. He knocked on its side. “Knock, knock.” 

“Um...who’s there?” Deaky asked with an arched eyebrow. 

“I love.” Freddie grinned. 

Deaky blinked. “I love who?” 

“I love  _ you _ , silly. Why would you ask me that?” He pushed John over slightly so the two could share the chair. John made a soft, whimpering sound as the two gazed into each other’s eyes lovingly. It was likely Freddie had charmed him so much that he had forgotten how to speak. Ugh! Why did they have to be so cute? 

_ Knock, knock!  _ Someone was at the door. Crystal and Clare went to go answer it. Deaky snapped out of his daze. “W-Who’s there?” he asked with uncertainty like it was another bad joke. 

“Fred, you need to tone down your googly eyes. I think you’ve broken Deaky.” I said.

“Nonsense, my sweetheart could never be broken. He’s perfect.” Freddie cooed giving his new boyfriend a sloppy kiss. Then John fell off the chair. “S-Sorry. F-Forgot how to breathe there for a second!” He stammered. 

“How do humans forget to breathe? Isn’t it second nature?” Phoebe asked curiously. 

“Does this mean I get to give you mouth to mouth?” Freddie asked eagerly as he helped Deaky back up to his feet. 

“I’m fine, Freddie.” John said breathlessly. “Just let me catch my breath. Y-You just...you take my breath away.”

“Do I?” Freddie beamed. Then he cocked his head to the side in deep consideration. “Be right back, my darlings, inspiration calls. Deaky, darling, expect a surprise later.” 

“I miss you already!” John pouted as soon as Freddie walked out the door. “Don’t worry, John, I might be wrong, but I think Freddie may be writing you a love song right now.” I speculated. “Either that or he’s taking a very creative dump.”

“Gross, Roger! Please don’t put that mental image in my head!” John cringed. “What is wrong with you?”

“A lot of things apparently.” I gestured to the tail. “I’m slowly mutating into a freak.” 

“Ahh, don’t worry, Roger. You’re not a freak at all. We’re just happy that you’re not dying on us.” Deaky said, reaching over to pat my back, brushing his hands against the ugly lumps in my shoulders. Soon I’d be spreading my wings, but I wasn’t sure if that was comforting or not. “You’d better survive this by the way because if you don’t I’ll have to kill you.” Deaky said. 

Just then Clare and Crystal returned into the room. They were dragging in what appeared to be a casket made completely out of a beautiful marble that seemed to sparkle like the moon. John gasped. “I never thought my idea would actually work! Thank goodness! Now our little family is finally all together again!” He proclaimed. 

“This had better be your BRIAN. You owe me big time for reuniting you with all of your friends, Roger.” Clare said as she unlocked the lid. 

“Wait? Brian is in there?” I cried. I was both overjoyed and horrified at the same time. “Careful, Rog, don’t get up too fast. Take it easy, remember?” Crystal warned. I shoved him out of the way to get to the...nope, I refused to call it a coffin--robot holder thingy. So I knocked Crystal out of the way and approached the robot holder thingy and saw Brian lying inside with his eyes shut. “Brimi!” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry. It was a relief to see him again, but the way he was lying there perfectly still was very unsettling. 

“Rog, it’s alright. He’s fine.” I looked back to Deaky who appeared to have gotten a bit taller than he had been mere seconds ago. Fuck! Either John didn’t notice or he didn’t say anything to be polite. Instead he reached inside the robot holder thingy and retrieved a device that resembled a cigarette lighter also made out of the same moonstone. Deaky clicked it on, but fire didn’t emerge. 

Brian stirred and blinked open his eyes. Clare was standing closest to where he was lying so his hazel eyes scanned her first. His brows furrowed and his lips twisted downward in a slight frown. “You’re not Roger. Where’s Roger?”

“Yup. He’s your BRIAN.” Clare laughed. “Just as obsessed with you as you are with him. Are you happy, Roggie?”

I was the first person Brian asked about after being put to sleep. He didn’t question where he was or how he had gotten here. No, he only wanted to know about me. Yes, I knew things would get better when Brian arrived, and I wasn’t wrong.

Brian sat up and looked around. “Rog?” He climbed out of the container and stepped closer to me. Long, tall and handsome...more long and tall than I remembered, but just as handsome as usual.

“You’re here!” Brian smiled down at me. “So are you.” I said gazing up into those glimmering hazel eyes. 

_ Riiiip.  _ I felt a slight pressure in my shoulder blades, but nothing compared to the pain I had been in these past few weeks and it faded in an instant. I twisted my neck back trying to spot the blue wings that were starting to emerge. Oh why did they have to reveal themselves now when Brian and I were in the middle of our reunion. 

I fluttered my eyes upward, afraid that Brian would look at me with disgust, but he didn’t. The wide eyed look of admiration he gave me made me melt. What was up with me? I never let myself feel this vulnerable around Brian. He was my best friend, so I shouldn’t feel so flustered. I fidgeted with my collar mindlessly, but soon I found my fingers tugging at a loose fitting fabric. My clothes were outgrowing me it seemed.

“Wow! They’re almost fully sprouted.” Clare examined my wings, taking my mind away from Brian’s exquisite face. I wanted to reach up and touch him as he seemed to be getting further away and the ground was becoming closer.

“Are you in any pain?” Crystal asked. He put his hand to my forehead, checking for a fever. “You feel fine I think the potion is working.”

“I-I have...I can obtain information on you because my assignment to look after you was added to my programming.” Brian blinked, his eye twitching slightly. “Molting in progress. Current temperature: 98.6 Fahrenheit...Wait why am I set for Farenheit and not Celsisus? I was made in the UK, not the US.”

John paled. “Oh my God! I messed up, didn’t I? I’m so sorry, Bri. I just wanted to send you out to Roger right away. I don’t know what I was thinking and how I could have missed that.”

“It’s fine, John. I can convert it manually. It’s no trouble at all. Just forgive me if I don’t automatically use the metric system. You seem to have me set to care for an American hybrid.” 

“I guess the cyborgs are only as good as their programmers.” Deaky sighed. “Sorry.” 

“Really, John, it’s alright. Without you I never would have remembered anything about myself or have access to any of my features. Now I know who I am and what I’m capable of and I’m more cognizant of my feelings for Ro--Err, hi Rog. How are you feeling?”

Before I could respond Brian quickly began to ramble as if he too were experiencing churning nerves. “I can see that all of your vitals are normal despite the potion. Your current estimated survival rate is at approximately 89.39%.” 

Then he blinked like he was coming out of a trance. “I’m programmed to do everything possible to lift that percentage up to 100 and keep you as comfortable as you can be under the circumstances throughout the process. But Rog, it’s  _ you _ . You’re not just a statistic or a coding. You’re...you’re my Roger. When I look at you I lose sight of my programming. You’re the only constant I can see anymore because my life is unimaginable without you in it. You make me glitch. I wish this emotional connection wasn’t a malfunction so I could better understand my own feelings and try to interpret yours.”

My head was spinning. What was Brian trying to tell me? Was it possible that he was attracted to me? I’ve loved Brian for two years now, but I assumed he was asexual because he was blind toward any of my advances. For me it was a relief when Deaky told me that he was a special kind of cyborg. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong to make Brian dislike me. He just didn’t notice that I flirted and subtly expressed my love at times. Plus if Brian was incapable of love, then he would never break my heart by falling for somebody else over me. Only now it seemed like he was harboring possible romantic feelings for me all along but had been unaware of them. 

Clare cleared her throat. “Brian, you’re more than welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms or the servant rooms, but I think it would be better if you stayed with Roger until he gets through the change. Rog, maybe show him to your room?” She winked.

“I don’t think we’ll mind sharing a room.” I said thinking back to all those nights we spent cuddled in the loft bed.

“Am I allowed?” Brian looked down to me cautiously as he took my hand. He was holding my hand. Oh my God! We never did this before. Our hands would only accidentally brush against each other from time to time. Was it okay? Of course it was, why wouldn’t it be? I memorized the feeling of our interlocked fingers, the soft touch of his skin despite the roughness and blisters of years of intense guitar playing. How could his hand feel both smooth and rugged at the same time?

“So um this is my room.” I announced. “They set it up to look the same way I left it when I was 18 as if nothing ever changed. Make yourself at home.”

Brian took a quick look around as I shut the door to give us some privacy. I took advantage of Brian being preoccupied looking at my posters. Since he was facing the wall, I quickly tied the side of my shirt to make it tighter and grabbed a belt from my closet to deal with my baggy pants. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice and his presence would calm me enough so I wouldn’t get any smaller.

“I had this same Beatles poster in my space shuttle. I also had one of Hendrix.” Brian reminisced as he sat down on the bed. “It’s strange that I have all these new memories, I feel like a completely different person.” 

“Well now you probably remember visiting all the planets. Is Neptune still your favorite?” I joined him on the bed. 

“No, Earth is my favorite now. I hadn’t considered it before, but it seems like the most obvious answer.” Brian reflected. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Nah, you can’t beat Uranus.” I snickered. 

“Glad to see you haven’t changed, Rog.” He grinned, but then he sighed. “I don’t think things can go back to the way they were as easily as we’d like to believe.”

“You haven’t changed either, Bri. It’s all in your head...or your CPU.” I assured him. “Sure you have some new memories about space and shit and your brain has basically become a built in computer, but what happened to us on Earth over these past two years is the same as it’s always been.” 

“Is it still the same? I’m not so sure anymore, Roger. I keep thinking back, and when it comes to you and me...Things aren’t as simple as I remember them to be.” Brian tried to explain, but he seemed to be at a loss of words. “When I think of you and the time we spent together...these feelings come up, and I’m not sure how to sort them out or if you’d understand.” 

“Help me understand.” I encouraged. “Please, Bri, we can figure this out together even if things get messy. Even if what I think you’re trying to say doesn’t work out, we can always go back to being just friends. The point is I want to be here for you always as your best friend or more if that’s what you want.” ‘ _ Please, say you want more’  _ I prayed. 

“But what about Freddie?” Brian asked. 

I frowned. “What about him?”

“You already have more with him. I know you two sleep together.” He blurted. 

“Nah. We put an end to that. Fred’s happy with Deaky now. He doesn’t need me for sex anymore. I’m okay with that because it was never really him I wanted. No hard feelings. We’ve moved on.” I said. “I’m ready to be with the person I really love.” I gulped, prepared to put my heart out on the line. It was now or never. “A-And that person is you, Brimi.”

“You love me.” Brian stated, almost like the words were foreign to him. Then he smiled. “Roger, that is such a relief to hear. I want to love you back, but I’m not sure if I know how.”

I was somehow both delighted and let down at his answer. “Just don’t think about it too much, okay?” I suggested. “We can just be together and see what happens?” 

“Experiment and observe like the scientific method?” Brian relaxed at the mention of something he was more familiar with. What a nerd! I was foolishly in love with this brilliant machine of a dream and there was nothing I could do but give in. “Sure, you dork.” I teased. “We’ll make it like a science experiment. I hypothesize that you’ll be in love with me before you know it.”

“I want to be in love with you so badly, Roger.” Brian sounded so desperate. “You’re the only thing I can think about. When my memory was completely wiped from the reboot, your pretty face was the only thing that came to mind and it’s always been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. Now that you’re here all I want to do is kiss you.” 

Silly Brian loved me. I knew it was true. I’d have to tell him that these confusing and unfamiliar “feelings” he was expressing were ones of love. I didn’t care if he never said the L word back to me or if he refused to acknowledge that he was in love. Those were just frivolous semantics. What mattered were our feelings and how we acted upon them. 

I forgot I wasn’t supposed to be doing anything that would mess with the beat of my heart. Kissing Brian was definitely one of those activities that would get my heart racing. I remembered the potion still brewing in my system a few seconds too late when our lips touched for a brief moment. It was just a split second of pure bliss, but my excitement and happiness couldn’t be contained. I was kissing my crush, something I had dreamed of doing for two years now. So of course naturally my heart fluttered and I got a bit breathless. I pulled away, cutting the tender moment off, trying to slow my speeding heart. 

‘ _ No, not now!’ _ was all I could think as the growth of the world around me became more obvious. The enlarging didn’t seem to be slowing down. Everywhere I looked things were getting bigger.  _ ‘Please no!’  _ The walls stretched upward, getting taller and taller. “NO!” I cried, leaping off the bed and clinging to the frame as if that would somehow help my situation. I held onto the bed frame as tightly as I could trying to steady myself, but the fixture was rapidly expanding just like everything else in the room. 

“Rog, it’s okay.” Brian said softly. “You’ll be okay.” He didn’t get up from the bed, and I was honestly scared what he would look like if he were to stand up. Seated there now he looked to be about the same height that he would normally be while standing, and he was getting bigger.

Clare wasn’t joking. This experience was horrifying, and I was only at half my original height. I couldn’t imagine getting any smaller than this. The bed frame I was grasping was now the same height as me. I continued to hug it like a lifeline in an ocean. 

“Roger, you need to stop panicking. That’ll only make it worse. Your heart is reading at 200 beats per minute. That’s not good.” How Brian kept his voice so leveled at a time like this was beyond me. There was no way I could avoid a freakout at this point. I was reaching sheer heart attack territory. “Just try to calm down, sweetheart.” Brian said gently. 

“D-Did you just call me sweetheart?” Oh my God! He was using an endearing pet name. If I weren’t 3 feet tall and sprouting wings right now I’d be over the moon. Why would this traumatizing moment have to be the memory of our first kiss?

“Just breathe, Roger. Slow deep breaths.” Brian instructed. I shut my eyes at this point because I was too afraid to face this new world. The bed frame was about the size of a street lamp now. I was in serious trouble.

“Roggie?” Brian’s voice sounded muffled.

The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was scream. I seemed to be encased in a maroon colored body bag. The fabric surrounded me on all sides. I barely had enough room to spread my little wings. Oh God! What if I suffocated in here? “BRIAN!” I yelled as I tried to break a hole in my soft prison cell that smelled like feet.  _ Riiip. _ Light shined through a threaded hole toward the bottom of the tomb. I forgot I had sharp spikes on my new tail. Huh. Who knew I’d find an actual use for it. 

“Roger!” Suddenly the maroon bag I was trapped in began to be lifted upward. I was jolted flat on my back like I was being launched into space from a rocket. When the elevated motion came to a steady stop, the top of the maroon sack slowly unraveled. I crawled through the lowering seams, making my grand escape. 

“Awww!” Before I could recognize where I was now, an enormous finger came down, gently stroking my hair. I knew that this finger had the potential to knock me down, so I had to be careful. “You’re so cute! Look at you, my little Roggie! You’re so adorable!” 

“Brimi?” I looked around this new fleshy landscape, trying my best not to hyperventilate. The very same hand I was holding just a few minutes ago was now carrying me. 

“It’s okay.” Brian spoke softly. I dared myself to look up at him. Seeing those gigantic warm hazel eyes staring down at me made me scream. Then that scream subsided into a series of sneezes and shivers. 

“B-Bri...I-It’s...It’s cold...b-but if you cuddle m-me...y-you’ll kill me!” I tried to wrap my wings around myself to keep warm. Where the hell did my clothes go? No wonder I was so cold. I was naked.

“Oh no!” Brian cried. “Your temperature just dropped to 96.1 Farenheit. Here, go back into your sock for now so you can warm up.” He pinched open the entrance to the maroon body bag inviting me back in there. I would rather freeze to death than suffocate in there again. Although I was in no position to say no to Brian considering he could just flex his knuckles and crush me.

As I shivered, I looked down over the edge of his hand curiously. A fall from this distance would be fatal. All the way on the ground I saw what looked like the clothes I had been wearing discarded into a pile. A maroon sock was sticking out of my shoe, but the other shoe was empty. 

“Roger, please, I don’t want you to catch hypothermia.” Brian presented me with the missing sock again. I shook my head. He couldn’t just stuff me into a sock. 

“Rog, your temperature is still dropping. Your body is gonna go into shock soon. I don’t want to force you in there because I might hurt you, but if I have to do it to save your life I will.” Brian warned. 

“B-But...i-i-it’s...s-scary i-in there.” I shivered. 

“Here, I have an idea.” He tied a knot in the bottom of the sock so I wouldn’t fall to the bottom. “Does that make it less scary?” 

“I’ll t-try.” I agreed, knowing I didn’t have much of a choice if I wanted to get out of the bitter cold. With Brian’s quick adjustment, I was able to fit the sock over myself like a snuggie, and I did feel warmer beneath it although I was still chilly. How did Clare manage to stay warm? 

“There you go, nice and cozy in your snuggly little sock.” Brian cooed. 

“B-Bri…” I poked my head out of the sock, to look at that massive face again. “Shh. It’s alright, Roggie. I promise I’ll keep you safe. Remember, it’s temporary. You won’t be this way forever.”

“B-But...we barely even kissed.” I sighed. “W-We’re supposed to be together.”

“We  _ are _ together, silly. In fact, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other over these next few days because you are never allowed to leave my sight. Now just rest. Give your body some time to acclimate. Soon you’ll be warmer.” He replied. 

“Okay, but as soon as I’m feeling better, I want to get my new car from Deaky and Crystal.” If I was stuck at the size of a fairy, I might as well get to have some fun, right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't proofread this so there's probably lots of mistakes. LOL. Join us next time for more smol bean Roger.


	9. You Take My Breath Away Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie writes a song for John

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that Brian May is alright and feeling better!!! Here's another chapter with lots of Deacury. More Maylor will come soon but right now it's Deacury time.

_Freddie’s POV_

I sent Phoebe to go find Deaky for me. Although I could be reserved at times, I never considered myself to be a modest performer. Far from it. I would literally sing completely in the nude for hundreds of people at Beezlebub’s. I had no shame when it came to my artistry. Only this time was different. I had all my clothes on, but this still felt so personal. I’d be singing from the heart to the person I loved. Doing that made me feel more vulnerable than pole dancing for strangers with grabby hands. I wasn’t shedding my clothes, but I was still lowering my walls and inviting Deaky into my heart, and it was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. The last person I had gotten this emotionally close to was Mary, and that turned out disastrous. I remembered singing Love of my Life to her and how I had opened myself up to her so completely only to be manipulated and abused. My relationship with Mary scarred me, but it seemed I wasn’t completely broken because I allowed myself to slowly fall in love again over the course of these last two years.

“Freddie, where the hell have you been?” John cried. “We got Brian back and now Roger is four inches tall and driving around in a toy car.”

“Never mind any of that, darling.” I beckoned him closer. “Come here. Sit down next to me.” I scooted over so he could join me on the piano bench. “Remember that little surprise I told you about earlier?”

“Freddie, I really think now isn’t the time. Roger needs our he--” I silenced him with a deep kiss. “Roger’s alien shenanigans can wait, dear. This moment belongs to us.” I said. Then I looked into those sweet green grey eyes. I pushed aside Deaky’s long hair so I could truly see his face. “You’re so beautiful, my love.” I laughed as his skin turned a lovely shade of scarlet. “You really are the most precious thing.” I cooed, kissing him again.

“Freddie!” Deaky squealed. “I um...Y-You’re…”

“Yes dear?” I asked patiently waiting for him to find his words. “Y-You’re too good for me. You’re like a beautiful exotic prince with every talent imaginable. A-And I’m...I’m nothing.”

“Is that a joke, darling? How can you be nothing when you’re my everything.” I said. “I love you, John. You’re my one. I’ve known it from the first night you snuggled up next for me for warmth in the owl loft bed. Please don’t call yourself nothing or unworthy. Those are lies. You’re clever and resourceful and so very handsome.” I kissed him again. “And you give such sweet kisses. It warms my heart.”

“Wow!” Deaky exhaled. “I’ve um...I’ve never felt like this before, Freddie. I-I don’t know what to do.”

“You don’t have to do anything, darling.” I assured him. “Now on with that surprise.” For the first time in my life I hesitate before putting my fingers on the piano keys. I was so worried about what Deaky would think of my song, but I had to express to him how I felt. So I went ahead despite my concerns. I lost myself to my own haunting melody, a result of how well Deaky had allured me.

_“Ooh ooh ooh ooh_

_Ooh ooh_

_Ooh you take my breath away_

_Look into my eyes and you'll see_

_I'm the only one_

_You've captured my love_

_Stolen my heart_

_Changed my life_

_Every time you make a move_

_You destroy my mind_

_And the way you touch_

_I lose control and shiver deep inside_

_You take my breath away_

_You can reduce me to tears_

_With a single sigh_

_(Please don't cry anymore)_

_Every breath that you take_

_Any sound that you make_

_Is a whisper in my ear_

_I could give up all my life for just one kiss_

_I would surely die_

_If you dismiss me from your love_

_You take my breath away_

_So please don't go_

_Don't leave me here all by myself_

_I get ever so lonely from time to time_

_I will find you_

_Anywhere you go, I'll be right behind you_

_Right until the ends of the Earth_

_I'll get no sleep till I find you to tell you_

_That you just take my breath away_

_I will find you_

_Anywhere you go_

_Right until the ends of the Earth_

_I'll get no sleep till I find you to_

_Tell you when I've found you -_

_I love you”_

John teared up. “I-I don’t know what to say, Freddie. I really don’t. You’re--You’re...Oh! I just love you so much!”

It was such a relief to hear that from him. “I love you too, darling.” I said. We kissed again, and again in a blissful rhythm. Who knew I could be so happy while being held hostage by aliens?

“Y-You should know that I’m a virgin.” Deaky admitted.

“I knew that already.” I replied. “Nothing to be ashamed of, darling. I promise I’ll be slow and gentle when we do it for the first time, but there’s no rush. I just want to enjoy having you all to myself.”

“Y-You’re not mad that I’m...I’m...not experienced...in...in…”

“In sex?” I asked bluntly. “Darling, you’re young. You’re only 18. There’s plenty of time for me to teach you a thing or two. And who better than me? I know everything there is to know about sex. Why would I ever be mad that I have the sweetest most genuine literal blushing virgin to hold and love and protect. Deaky, I’m here to love you, not fuck you. I hope you understand the difference.”

“Um…” Poor thing looked so frightened by where this conversation was going like a scared little kitten in a thunderstorm. “It’s alright, my dear. I’m going to take good care of you. You don’t have to worry about a thing. I just want you to feel pleasured.” I assured him. “I’m so grateful you chose me and I’m going to do everything I can to make your first time as special as possible.”

“Okay...but I um...I-I don’t want to...right now.” Deaky stammered.

“Right now?” I laughed. “Who said anything about right now? We’ll do it when the time is right. It doesn’t have to be today or tomorrow or even this month. If we plan a time and date it won’t be as romantic, but if you aren’t ready then there’s nothing to fear. All I want is for you to feel comfortable.”

“A-And you don’t mind waiting?” He asked.

“ _You_ are worth the wait.” I vowed. If it were anyone else, I couldn’t go that long without sex. But this was Deaky. I didn’t care if I had to wait my entire life or never even get to have sex with him at all, having him as my own was good enough for me. “I love you, my sweetness. Don’t worry about sex. It’ll happen when we’re ready.”

“Alright.” Deaky seemed to calm slightly now that we had finished this important conversation. “That song was really something else, Fred. You sure know how to make an insignificant guy like me feel special.”

“Will you stop that, darling? You are not insignificant.” I almost scolded him, but I kept my voice leveled not wanting to scare him. “We’ll have to work on your self esteem, darling. Someday hopefully soon you’ll see yourself the way I see you.”

John smiled softly and traced the shape of my cheekbone with his fingers. “I love you, Freddie.” He whispered. Aww. When did I ever get this soft? “I love you too, darling.”

A sudden clamorous piano chord made us part. What was that? I looked back to the keyboard and found the culprit. Out of nowhere a cat had appeared and decided to make herself comfortable atop the instrument. I adored cats and they were one of the things I missed the most about my old life. Even though my parents never let me have a pet, I would still feed the stray cats that would come around in our backyard, and of course I enjoyed my brief time spent with Ms. Hoot, the old cat woman whose owl observatory became our home.

“Why hello, you little cutie pie? How did you get here?” I approached the fluffy tortoiseshell cat. Unfortunately, she scampered away from me back out the window. “No!” I pouted. “Come back, darling! I just want to love you and give you cuddles!”

“I think you scared her.” John said. He shrugged. “Her loss though. I’ll gladly take your love and cuddles. That cat doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

“Yes, you’ll get all my love and cuddles I can offer in just a moment, dearie.” I said rising from the piano bench to look out the window for the lost cat. I didn’t know if the sleazes kept pets. What would they do to the cat if they found her? Would they put her down?

Roger and Clare welcomed me here, but I knew technically I was Michael’s slave. So I wasn’t allowed to leave. Screw that I did what I wanted. Nobody told Freddie Mercury what to do. “Be right back, darling. Don’t go anywhere.” I told Deaky and climbed out the window to go searching for the cat.

“Here, kitty!” I called as I crept out onto the patio. She couldn’t have gotten far. “Meow.” I called out. “Come to Freddie! Meow!”

Eventually I found the cat perched a pool of bubbling green liquid that looked more like radioactive goo than a luxurious lake. It just figured that the sleaze would swim around in toxic ooze. I was sure to stay far from the edge of the pavement leading into the depths of the goo as I attempted to pick up the cat. “That’s it, darling. Stay nice and still for me please.” I said calmly as I approached her. I should have anticipated the cat leaping out of the way at the very moment I attempted to scoop her up into my arms. It caught me off guard, and I tripped. The next thing I knew, I fell backward into the slushy green substance.

“I hope you’re happy, darling!” I said to the cat as I emerged, covered from head to toe in thick slimy ooze. “And I adored this outfit too.” I sighed looking down at the no longer recognizable Mickey Mouse shirt Phoebe had gotten me. Now I didn’t want to touch the cat in case this disgusting sludge was poisonous. “Very well. You win. You can be an undomesticated cat, but just be careful. This base isn’t the safest place for cute little fluff balls like yourself.” I warned her as I went back inside to take a shower. Naturally, the cat followed me back inside.

“Freddie!” John gasped. “What happened? Why are you covered in green ick? Is that the goo from the pool outside? Gross!”

“I’ll worry about this goo. You take care of the cat, okay, darling?” I tried my best to keep my distance so none of the goo would drip onto Deaky. Not being able to hug him was difficult though. As I headed to the bathroom to wash up, I noticed that the cat had made herself at home by Deaky’s feet, purring softly. Of course that feisty cat liked Deaky. Who wouldn’t?

“Phoebe, darling!” I called to my robot friend. “I would like for these clothes to be incinerated please. I don’t know if this goo is dangerous. I’ll leave them outside the door for you to discard. Please be careful, dear. Use gloves if you must.”

I figured there was no point in worrying about this mysterious goo once I got rid of it in the shower. That was exactly what I did. I scrubbed myself clean while belting Elvis tunes at the top of my lungs. Who doesn’t enjoy singing in the shower? Weird green alien gunk aside, I was content as I could be. I found the real love of my life and a cat. Nothing could spoil my good mood.

I thought I heard a scream coming from the other room, but the sound was faint under the rushing water. It was probably mini Roger encountering something much bigger than him. I shouldn’t worry. That was Brian’s job. So I carried on as if nothing really mattered.

Still singing to myself, I walked back to the piano room wearing nothing but a towel. “Sorry about that delay, Deaky darling. Now, if I can remember correctly I promised you some love and cud--” I stopped mid sentence as I realized I was talking to nobody. The room was empty. There was no Deaky and no cat. “John?” I called out. Silence. “Kitty?” Not a single meow.

“Deaky, where are you?” I ran down the hall in search of him. I nearly tripped over Roger zooming around in his toy car, but I hardly cared. I ignored Brian calling after me to be more careful as he followed Roger around to keep the little guy out of danger. I checked every single room in the manor trying to find John, but there was no sign of him. I began to panic. Where could Deaky have gone? Why would he leave me? Was he in trouble? What if Mary got him?

“Freddie.” Phoebe caught me as I paced in a frenzy. “I scanned the goo on your clothes, and it turns out that--”

“--Not now, darling. I’m looking for Deaky. He’s missing. Have you seen him?” I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice.

“Listen to me!” Phoebe surprised me by raising his voice. “That isn’t ordinary mutation goo out there. It’s the secreted pheromones of reapers.”

“What the fuck is a reaper?” I demanded.

“A predatory creature from the home planet that feasts on flesh tissue. Every time the reapers mate, they secrete their pheromones into the ground creating an artificial puddle like the one outside. Reapers love to return to the spot and wait for cute cats to lure in a victim. Most times they eat the person right then and there, but during special holidays they take their victim and the cat back to their nest to perform a ritual.Today is their national day of roaming and is celebrated by partaking in a parade where they wear the heads of cats and afterwards drink the blood of their victims.” Phoebe explained. “John’s status is reading as alive and healthy but his location has changed to the reaper nest just north of the London base”

That was a lot to take in and I had so many questions, but there was only one concern that mattered at this point. “DEAKY!”

“The Order has made peace with the reapers so it is impossible to disrupt their ritual without violating that peace treaty and starting a war. But don’t worry, I have a plan to save John and the cat.” He said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay another cliff hanger! Tee hee.


	10. Killer Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie, Brian, and Roger enter the nest of the reapers to rescue John.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Memorial Day everyone and thank you to our brave troops who sacrifice their lives for our freedom! This chapter is brought to you by 2020: The year of the plague and the murder hornets!

_John's POV_

_"Meow."_ The cat curled up by my feet and purred. "Aww." I cooed. As I reached down to pet her, the fur on the back of her neck stood up.

"What's the matter, love?" I asked.

Then I heard the snarl. I only caught a glimpse of the devilish creature but in those split seconds my worst nightmare came to fruition. It was a giant insect like beast with large beady red eyes and a snapping snout full of yellow carnivorous fangs. I barely had time to scream as it perched itself on the windowsill glaring at me like I was something to devour.

The monster let out a high pitched shriek and suddenly a green fluid like the goo from outside propelled out of its mouth. The droplets landed on my neck before I could dodge them. I was paralyzed in fear but I knew I had to run. Something locked me into place so I couldn't get away. I realized that the gooey substance was solidifying, encasing me in a thick cocoon like a bug trapped in fossilized amber. From the neck down I couldn't move because the droplets has expanded into this entrapping shell. Slowly but surely the growing structure began to creep above my neck. Oh God! Would I suffocate? I struggled to break free but it was no use. The last thing I saw was the hideous creature reaching its claw toward me before the crystallized saliva completely encapsulated me and I blacked out.

_***_

_Freddie's POV_

"Well then there's no time to lose! Let's go storm that nest, murder those fucking reapers, and get our Deaky back!" I declared. "Oh and we'll adopt all the cats we can rescue along the way."

"These creatures are very dangerous. If you venture into their nest without a clear plan, you won't make it out alive." Phoebe warned. "What you'll need to do is create a distraction big enough to temporarily halt their roaming parade and while this is going on break into the sacrificial chamber and rescue John. All without getting caught of course which is easier said than done."

"Are we talking about those goddamn reapers?" Crystal walked into the living room with a tray of sandwiches. One of the sandwiches was cut into tiny crumbles looking more like a series of crumbs than an actual meal. "Clare got into a nasty brawl with one of them and I almost got my dick bitten off trying to rescue her. I thought taking care of her was hard enough, but then I met Roger. I swear that boy has a death wish. I don't envy Brian."

"But you and Clare both got out in one piece?" I confirmed. I wouldn't take no for an answer. I was going to save Deaky even if it killed me.

"Barely. You don't wanna mess around with those reapers, they will kill you without giving it a second thought. They're out for blood." Crystal stated. "Where's John by the way? He seems like the only sane one in your little group who won't go rushing headlong toward a reaper for whatever insane reason."

"Deaky's been kidnapped by a reaper and it's all my fault!" I cried. "If I hadn't brought in the cat, then he'd still be here."

"What?" Clare flew in and snatched a sandwich from Crystal's tray. "John's been kidnapped by reapers? But I just got him here. Do I seriously need to go after him again? The things I have to do to keep Roger and his friends alive." She seemed pretty calm despite the dire situation. Although it could be because Clare barely knew John. True it was impossible not to love Deaky, but she didn't share the same attachment I did. Without Deaky here with me, there was no point in carrying on. If I didn't get him back, my world would end. I hate to be dramatic (just kidding I was born to be dramatic) but that was the honest truth.

"Mmm. Bologna and cheese!" Clare bit into her sandwich. How the hell could she have an appetite at a time like this? We couldn't be thinking of food when Deaky was in trouble.

"Darlings, focus. We need to stop the reapers from hurting Deaky because if they dare touch him they will be making a grave mistake. Mark my words if anyone messes with my sweet John, I will hunt them down and destroy them until there's nothing left but a pile of bones...or exoskeletons in this case."

"Here's a fool proof guide to stopping a swarm of hungry reapers." Clare said in between bites of bologna. "To take down a colony of reapers in one hit you've gotta destroy their queen. That's critical. You get only one shot at it 'cause the queen is pretty much indestructible and always heavily guarded by ruthless reaper soldiers. I came close to killing a queen once, but then this jerk," She elbowed Crystal, "had to go and ruin it by trying to bring me back home."

"I saved your ass and this is the thanks I get. I don't know who's worse. You or your brother." Crystal sighed.

"So there's our answer. We kill the queen which will cause a distraction big enough for us to sneak into the sacrificial chamber and save Deaky." I exclaimed. That didn't sound too hard, now did it? No quest was too perilous for the price of John's life. We owed it to him to try.

"Reaper queens are indestructible with the exception of one kryptonite. They're fatally allergic to bumblebee stings. One touch of a stinger and the queen will drop like a fly." Clare explained. "A reaper killed my best friend, so I've been thirsting for revenge for a while. I came pretty close, but I had luck on my side. Since I already battled a bumblebee and had collected its stinger as a trophy, I decided to go for it. I was small enough to fly into the nest unnoticed. I was about to stab the queen with my stinger sword, but then Crystal caught me and yeeted me back home causing a great big scene and all the reapers chased after us. Now I'll probably never be able to get back into that nest and finish my job because I can't be as discrete at this size."

"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, Clare. You're lucky I was able to pose as a nonthreatening cyborg to get into that nest and rescue you. You could've easily been killed. Not even by a reaper but by one of the many stray cats wandering through the nest. You can't take risks when you're that tiny." Crystal cried.

Just then Brian sulked into the room appearing more forlorn than usual as he clutched the empty toy car. "I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think I might've lost Roger." He announced, sounding so deflated. So that made two of us who let our loved ones down. This wasn't supposed to happen. In a perfect world we'd be celebrating our reunion. I'd be presenting Deaky with a brand new Cinnabon bunny and we'd cuddle with it together in bed as we....Focus Freddie! Not the time!

"Where did you last put him?" I asked.

Brian frowned. "He's my boyfriend, Fred, not my keys. I didn't just misplace him like that. Roger's not some object just because he's small. It's still him."

"You must be moonlight deficient, dear, because your bitchy side is really starting to come out. I'm only trying to help. I'm sure Roger will turn up. In the meantime, Deaky is in real trouble and saving him needs to be our priority." I insisted.

"Well Roger is key to any chance you have at getting Deaky back because he could pose as a bumblebee to scare the queen offering the perfect distraction." Clare speculated. "Have you checked your hair, Brian?"

"Don't you think I would have known it Roger was—Ohmy God!" Brian pulled Roger outof his hair.

"Finally! I was trapped in there for the last 39 minutes! Didn't you hear me calling you?" Roger cried.

I wasn't sure if I found this amusing or horrifying. Roger was comfortable in cupboards, so this wasn't too much of a stretch for him I guess.

"Roger," Brian gasped, "how the hell did you...you know what forget it! Some mysteries are better left unsolved. Are you okay?"

"I'm kinda bummed out. I thought I would find all the secrets of the world in there. Instead, I just found hair. Lots and lots of hair." Roger said.

"You're an idiot, Rog!" Brian surprised us all by knocking Roger down with his thumb. "That's what you get for climbing into my hair without telling me. You seriously had me scared there. I thought something bad had happened and you were hurt. When I couldn't find you I assumed the worst."

"Nope, you can't get rid of me that easily." Roger stood back up and hugged the very same thumb that had bumped him back onto his tail. "Now I'm no longer mad." Brian smiled down at Roger. "Feelings are confusing." If I wasn't so worried about Deaky, I would be cooing about the pure adorableness of this moronic pair.

"So what's all this talk about Deaky getting kidnapped by a killer queen?" Roger asked. "How can I help? I might not have a stinger like a bumblebee, but I can certainly bite. I'll do whatever it takes to get our friend back."

"I can already tell this isn't going to end well." Crystal sighed.

***

_Roger's POV_

"I look ridiculous." I said as I scratched at my itchy striped yellow and black vest. "Nobody in their right mind is going to fall for this."

"You look so cute, love. The sweetest little bumblebee." Brian cooed as he gently readjusted the fake antenna headband that Freddie had so graciously created out of foam. Ever since news broke out about Deaky being in big trouble he had gotten a lot paler and that sparkle was missing from his dark eyes. Still he had giggled to himself as he constructed my mini bee costume. I felt like an idiot, but if this would save John, then I'd be alright with it. 

"Shush, darlings. Don't blow our cover." Freddie hissed. "There'll be plenty of time for blowing things later especially once we have Deaky back." 

"I sure as hell hope the only thing you'll be doing with Deaky is blowing bubbles because that boy is too innocent for you to defile him beyond kisses." I warned. 

"We can have this conversation when Deaky is safe, dear. Let's just focus on getting him back alright." Freddie said with determination. 

"And not dying while we're at it." Brian added. "Remember, Roger, you just have to get close enough to the queen to scare her and create a distraction so Fred and I can get John out of the nest safely. That's all you have to do. Then you need to fly away, far away and not get captured yourself. Otherwise this'll all be for nothing because we'll have to come back for you. Understand?" 

I didn't have much flying experience yet, but if I wasted time practicing, then we wouldn't reach Deaky in time. I wouldn't let John down. I knew I had a tendency to fuck up in over the top ways, but I wouldn't let my proclivity for chaotic mistakes get in my way this time. Not when lives were on the line. "Don't worry. You can count on me!" I exclaimed. 

As we ventured through the base and approached the reapers' nest, a sign in bright red letters became visible. **CAUTION: You travel beyond this point at your own risk. The Order can no longer protect you if you enter this area because the nest lies in the jurisdiction of Reaper Colony 39. Reapers are known to be carnivorous and will consume raw flesh and feast upon live blood if they come across it. We suggest wearing armor to avoid inevitable casualties. **It was displayed high above a hole in the wall that led into a long, dark tunnel that encompassed not a single speck of light. Well that was certainly ominous. The Order hadn't done much to protect us thus far, so I didn't exactly heed the warning. 

Two hideous creatures guarded the entrance to the cave. The closest thing I can describe them as is if a haunted lobster had sex with mutated praying mantis and gave birth to a monster. Their bodies appeared like tall scaly insects with pointy claws for hands. Their faces had glowing red eyes and sharp fangs dripping with saliva. I know they say don't judge a book by its cover, but I officially despised reapers because just the sight of them made me want to scream and projectile vomit. "We're going to die aren't we?" I accepted and hid in Brian's pocket for the time being.

"State your business, BRIAN and tasty human." The monster spoke in a low growling voice that was almost indistinguishable. I poked my head back out of the pocket in time to see one of the aliens extend its long snake-like tongue trying to lick Freddie. "Everyone wants to take a bite out of me, don't they?" Freddie sighed wiggling his ass in a flirtatious mockery. "I'm sorry, darling, but I'm afraid my meat is reserved for my boyfriend."

"Masters, I present you a sacrifice for the roaming parade if it so pleases her majesty to have this human's blood added to the feast." Brian's voice quivered with fear a bit giving away that he was sentient and not a mindlessly droid. Thankfully, the reapers didn't seem to notice. 

"Right this way, BRIAN. You are to deliver the snack to the sacrificial chamber to be solidified and drained for blood." They stepped aside, allowing Brian and Freddie to pass through. 

"Did you hear that? He called me a snack. I always knew I was so sexy that I was practically delectable." Freddie snickered. "Now let's go find Deaky and get the fuck out of here." 

The cave was cold and dark. Nothing could be seen but the illuminating red eyes of the reapers we passed on our way to the sacrificial chamber. There was an eerie silence as well as if we were waiting to hear someone scream, but until then there was a quietness steady as a drum disturbed only by the rustling sound of reapers scurrying around and the stomping of Brian and Freddie's feet. Although to a normal sized person, the sounds of those footsteps and movements were likely nominal. 

"How am I supposed to find the queen if it's pitch black in here and all the reapers look the same?" I hissed. 

"What are you talking about? I see fine. Oh wait...I just realized I'm equipped with night vision. Huh. I'm just full of surprising features aren't I?" Brian mused. 

"This is the most depressing parade I've ever seen in my life." Freddie huffed as we took note of all the reapers slowly roaming through the cave, taking long deliberate steps in unison. It was too dark to make out what they were wearing on their heads, and I was grateful for that because I had been told it was disembodied cat heads. "This is why straight pride parades aren't a thing." Freddie shuddered. 

My eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, enough so that I could make out the cat scamper by. Poor kitty better be careful. These reapers had no regard for the cute and the fluffy. "You're the same cat from earlier!" Freddie proclaimed. He managed to pick up the cat and cuddle it. "It's alright, darling. I'm going to get us all out of here safely." 

I suddenly realized how very small I was in the cat laid eyes on me. Out of instinct like a cowering mouse, I lowered my head back into the pocket. Pathetic to be afraid of a cute fluffy cat, but it was nearly five times the size of me and could easily slit my neck with its claws. 

_'Meow. Meow. Meow.'_ The cat whined. "No," Brian replied casually, "that's not a mouse in my pocket. You're not allowed to play with Roger until he's back to his normal size."

What the fuck? I didn't know what was stranger, my boyfriend having to clarify that I wasn't a mouse or my boyfriend talking to a cat like it was a common day occurrence. "Brimi?" Freddie gasped. "Did you just--"

_"Meow. Meow."_

"Oh my God! I do understand...but how?" Brian sounded bewildered. "That shouldn't be one of my features. I'm not programmed to speak to cats. This shouldn't be possible."

"I'm jealous." Freddie sighed. "You have night vision and you speak meows. You might as well be a cat, dear. Oh I wish I was you right now. That must be a joy. Can you ask her if she knows where Deaky is?" 

"Alright." Brian seemed more hesitant to communicate with the cat this time. Probably it was strange for him now because he was thinking about it rather than doing it naturally. He overthought everything and that was why he still hadn't told me he loved me. "Listen, kitty--"

_"Meow"_

"Delilah, I'm sorry." Brian corrected himself. "Our dear friend John has been kidnapped by these reapers. We believe he's being kept in the sacrificial chamber. Would you be polite enough to show us where that is?"

_"Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow."_

"Umm...she says that the sacrificial chamber is guarded just like the outside of the nest. If we go there, the reapers will just take Freddie and solidify him and have stored in the catacombs until high noon when his blood will be drained for the ritual." Brian translated. "Deaky is likely in that petrified state right now. We have until high noon to get him out. Roger, I believe this is where you come in." 

Suddenly one of the reapers in the front line of the parade came to a halt. He retrieved a horn that looked more like a human hyoid bone from his vest. Pinching it with his claws, he brought it up to his mouth and blew into it making a sound fitting of a harmonica. "ALL MARCH FOR HER MAJESTY, THE BLACK QUEEN ON THIS GLORIOUS DAY OF THE ROAMING!"

The queen looked no different from the other reapers except her menacing red eyes were wider and rounder. Instead of a cat on top of her head, there was a human skull that was worn like a fastened bicycle helmet. Well that was a lovely sight. She was surrounded on all sides by more reapers as the company marched for her in a dreadfully slow fashion staring straight ahead with no emotion written on their repellent faces. 

"It's now or never." I gulped. I jumped out of Brian's pocket and spread my wings. I looked to the sides of me as the new blue structures expanded as naturally as they would if I were to stretch out my arms. These extra extremities were now a part of me, and I found that flapping them was not much of an effort beyond twitching the new muscles built into my back. I hovered in the air for a while before getting a knack for the feeling. Then I soared high above the reapers' heads with the queen in my sights. I was airborne! I zigzagged and wavered a bit, but if I tilted my tail I found it was easier to stay afloat and steady in the direction I intended. "Wow!" I gasped, looking down at the ground below me as it seemed so far away, even tall curly Brian who could always be spotted was getting fuzzy as I lifted away from him. There was that jittery feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach that I would get in an airplane first taking off as I ascended higher and higher. "Look Brimi! I'm flying!" I proclaimed, but then I realized I was too far away and too small to be heard. This would be more fun when I wasn't so tiny and a quick hand could easily swat me. In this case, I had to be cognizant of claws rather than hands. The reapers' snapping pinchers were like a massive pair of tweezers that could snap me in half if I got caught in them. 

I made my way closer to the queen, careful not to be seen too soon. From in the air, the target didn't seem so intimidating, but the queen grew in size as I lowered myself to get near her. My heart was racing as I approached her grotesque colossal form. I spun by her head, making a buzzing sound. "BEEEEEEEE!!!" She shrieked, and suddenly I was reminded of that scene in Bee Movie when Barry is trapped in the car and everyone is actively trying to murder him. In the blink of an eye, the congregation descended into chaos. All the reapers ceased their marching and snapped their claws up at me trying to catch me. I narrowly managed to dodge their grasps feeling so overwhelmed by hundreds of ghastly massive claws swinging at me. 

I screamed at the top of my lungs as they chased me like an angry mob with pitchforks. Why the hell did I agree to this? I didn't want to die like this. My wing muscles ached but I kept propelling myself forward with the adrenaline from fearing death maintaining my speed. I wasn't sure how long I could keep it up though eventually I'd get tired. At this size and with the molt still going on, I got tuckered out if I drained too much of my energy too quickly. I was scared I might pass out from exhaustion soon only I wouldn't wake back up because I'd be nothing more than the remnants of itty bitty pieces stuck in an alien claw. My weak wing muscles faltered and I lowered. I felt a claw nip painfully at my tail. Oh no! I was falling! No! I tried to make my fall graceful and aimed for manhole up ahead. The ground descended into a stairwell leading into unknown depths. "Trap him in there!" One of the reapers shouted. Before I could make a conscious decision, I was already tumbling down the stairs, bouncing off of them like a bowling ball. The last thing I saw was en enormous claw covering the manhole, leaving me with no way out. 

_Brian's POV_

I watched my tiny love flutter off into the distance. What was I doing? How could I let Roger fly away into such danger when he himself was in so vulnerable? What if the reapers killed him? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I would just have to request that Freddie or John shut me down and never wake me again because I wouldn't be able to live with that guilt. 

"He'll be okay, darling. Come on!" Freddie promised. "Delilah, dear, show us the way to the sacrificial chamber please." 

We followed the cat through the darkness until she stopped at spot where there were three reapers pacing. I examined closer and realized they were surrounding a manhole leading down into a spiral staircase. "That must be the the sacrificial chamber!" I concluded. 

"Bingo!" Freddie exclaimed. "Now how do we get in there?" 

"BEEEEEEE!!!" The screams were loud enough to be heard from miles away. Roger had done his part it seemed, but was that enough and more importantly was he okay? 

"Bee!" The reapers guarding the manhole shouted in unison. "Protect the queen!" In a desperate scramble, they ran from their post. One attempted to slide the lid of the manhole back into place before leaving, but it didn't quite lock into place. As soon as the coast was clear, Freddie and I ran to the man hole, removing the lid with ease.

 _"Cats always land on their feet."_ Delilah remarked and didn't bother taking the stairs, instead she jumped down and scurried off. 

"Darling, wait for me!" Freddie called and he lowered himself down into the tomb and descended the stairs. I knew we had to keep the manhole open so we wouldn't get trapped, but that put us in danger. 

I descended like Freddie, but once I reached the bottom of the staircase, I didn't go any deeper into this underground chamber. "Freddie, I'm going to stay here and stand guard in case the reapers return. You go find Deaky, alright?"

"If you think that's best." He agreed. "Just be careful, darling." Freddie gave me a hesitant hug before turning back to venture into the depths of the catacomb. "Delilah, wait for me!" 

The tunnel stretching forward seemed to go on for miles and was filled with cobwebs and spiky rocks that appeared sharp enough to pierce the skin. 

A great commotion could be heard from above like a stampede of screams. "Trap him in there!" I heard somebody shout. Oh no! I bolted back up the stairs, hoping to hold back the lid, so we wouldn't get locked inside this dreadful place. Only before I could make it to the top, I spotted something small plummet down, bumping down the stairs and dropping by my feet. There was a loud click as the manhole locked into place, but that was far from my concern right now. 

"Roger!" I scooped him up into my hands. He was unconscious and bruised and it looked like his tail was bleeding. My emotions poured to the forefront of my mind temporarily blinding me of my functions. I couldn't even scan him I was so scared. 

"Baby?" As gently as I could without further hurting him, I removed the tiny bumblebee vest and wrapped the fuzzy garment around his tail to stop the bleeding. Thankfully Roger had on two layers as I instructed him. Keeping warm at his size was a struggle. "Please, Roggie..." I surprised myself with the welling of tears in my eyes. This was a major malfunction, but I was unable to prevent myself from dissenting into a human mode I never knew I could access and had no control over. I made matters worse it seemed because a teardrop fell from my eyes, soaking Roger because to him it was like a small pool. I moved my hands from my eyes, not wanting to drown him. 

Perhaps the water did the trick because Roger stirred. His eyes opened and he sat up, wildly looking around as if he had forgotten that he was tiny. My little angel was alright! I was elated just to see those beautiful blue eyes again. "Roger!" I squealed. He cowered back against my index finger when he looked up at me. "S-Sorry...forgot how big everything is. W-What happened, Bri?" 

"You're okay!" I could hardly contain myself. I was so grateful to be holding him again. "Oh Roger, I was so worried that they had hurt you and that fall might have done you in!"

"I'm fine." He reached back to massage his wing. "Just sore...and smol. God, I hate being so small." His eyes darted upward. "Maybe I just can't see way up there, but is our way out covered?"

Right. I had forgotten that we were still trapped because I was so overcome with relief. "Hang on." I warned him as I balanced him in my hand and went back up the stairs to test the lid of the manhole. I pushed, but as to be expected we were locked in. "We'll have to find another way out." I sighed. "But at least we're together."

"Y-Yeah." Roger stared up at me. "T-Thanks, Bri."

"For what?" I asked. "I've done nothing but put you in danger."

"But you're here for me now." He insisted. "And I've done nothing but annoy you."

"Of course I'm here for you, you little bean." I told him. "I love you." I hardly realized I had said that, but the more I thought about it, I knew it was true. 

"Y-You love me." His tiny smile was blinding. "I told you so."

How could I fall for someone so smug? "Oh shut up, you little pest." I teased. 

"Say it again please." Roger begged. Gladly. "I love you."

"Again!" He pleaded. 

"I love you, Roger. I love you so much." I couldn't believe it. Despite my programming, I had figured out how to love. 

"I love you too." Roger replied eventually, but I already knew that. "Now how are we going to get ourselves out of this mess?" 

"Let's find Freddie and hope there's a literal light at the other end of the tunnel." I suggested. "Sounds good." He agreed. "Mind if I go back in your hair and take a nap while you walk? Being chased by aliens has me exhausted." 

"I thought you hated it in there." I laughed. 

"It's easy to get tangled and stuck, but it's so soft and cozy." Before I could stop Roger he flew up and nuzzled himself atop my head. I dictated an internal note to myself: refrain from scratching my head. I felt a soft tickle beneath my curls and realized that Roger had kissed my scalp. How could I not love him? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this chapter was wild! The next chapter will be just as insane! For reference, I based the reapers off of the alien from the old Disney ride Alien Encounter which I only got to experience once when I was about 4 or 5 years old but it scared the living hell out of me to the point that I'm still scarred to this day. Then they replaced it with one of my favorite Disney characters Stitch and somehow they made Stitch nightmarish so thanks for that Disney. 
> 
> Ok, now I'm gonna get serious. For those of you who haven't seen the video: Brian May suffered from a small heart attack and almost died but he's recovering now. He doesn't want our sympathy he just wants us to congratulate him for healing and feeling better. Regardless, hearing about his pain and how we almost lost him made me cry. My heart is shattered. But it's gonna be okay because he seems to be getting much better and can play guitar and walk again. I think it speaks to how badass Brian is that he can casually say "I had a small heart attack" while we were all making fun of his butt. Yeah I know I'm guilty too. Hurting your ass while gardening is funny I don't care what Brian thinks about that but I'm glad we can all laugh now because he's feeling better.
> 
> This might be morbid but I have a feeling we might have lost him but Freddie was chilling in heaven and saw him coming and was like "No fucking way, darling, it's not your time yet!" and knocked him back down to Earth. And then he shouted "You better stay down there or else I'll have to haunt you!" 
> 
> 💔💔💔
> 
> This is for you, Dr. May. Sending you all the love in the world. Don't you dare leave this Earth a moment too soon because we need you and we love you even though we don't deserve you! 🥰😭


	11. Good Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue mission continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world is a mess right now! I can't believe that it's 2020 and there are still racist assholes out there who just don't understand that black lives matter. How the hell is that possible? The only thing I want to bring back from the 60s is the music. This is ridiculous! The good news is the officer who murdered George Floyd is being charged with 3rd degree murder. The bad news is the officer who murdered George Floyd is being charged with 3rd degree murder. It's better than nothing I guess. I'm glad he's at least being held accountable even if he deserves a 2nd or even 1st degree charge. I believe there were also three other officers who stood by and watched while their fellow officer committed murder. They have not been arrested or charged with anything as of now. This is why the riots are getting so violent because the American people know that it's not acceptable for this kind of racist behavior to continue over and over again. While I'm a pacifist and I don't necessarily agree that looting a flat screen TV from Target will fix racial relations in America, I still support the cause and understand the anger and why it has reached this point. The police should be here to protect lives not take lives away. I know there are lots of good cops out there who aren't racist and abuse their badges, but regardless, these instances of police brutality need to finally end. Coming out of lockdown I'm beginning to remember how terrible the world is. I'm trying to look on the bright side but this year has been testing all of us. Hope you all stay well out there. Here's some Deacury and another crazy Beth twist you probably won't see coming:

_Freddie's POV_

I followed Delilah through the darkened tunnel, hoping to find Deaky in time. I was too frightened to call out for my love in case any looming reapers overheard me. All I could do was pray that I hadn't arrived too late. In the distance, I heard the sound of rushing water. Huh. This cave was humid and muggy, but I wasn't expecting to find any streams. Hopefully it was real water and not any more of that disgusting alien goo. How many outfits could I dirty in a day? Phoebe was kind enough to build me a wardrobe and I had to respect that. So I added save my attire from filthy slime to my list of agendas in addition to rescuing Deaky and adopting Delilah. Priorities.

Finally, I stumbled across something horrifying that I was unfortunately seeking. "NO!" I cried at the sight. There was precious Deaky petrified in an encasement of thick amber, the look of his terror on his face permanently frozen. How the hell could I let this happen? Protecting Deaky was my job and I had failed. This was horrible, worse than anything that could have happened to me because it was my John. The love of my life. That innocent baby who hugged his Cinnabon at night, wished on shooting stars to find his family again, and never understood my dirty jokes and innuendos. Now he was trapped forever and there was nothing I could do about it. Why did it have to be John? "I'm so so sorry, my love." I hugged his frozen form. "Oh darling, please come back to me." I sobbed, giving anything to just hear his voice again.

 _"Meow."_ Delilah tugged at my shoelace with her mouth. I wiped my tears and looked down at her curiously. "Are you here to comfort me, darling?" Normally a cute cat was all it would take to cheer me up, but nothing could abate these dark storm clouds.

Delilah scampered over to one of the many jagged rocks protruding from the ground like the menacing hands of a pointy nailed witch. "Careful, dear, those are sharp. You don't want to cut yourself on--Oh!" I gasped in realization of what the cat was trying to tell me. Brian claimed he could understand her words, but I too shared a connection with this little fluff ball that went beyond language. "Delilah, you are brilliant!" I exclaimed. She purred in response as I carefully picked up one of the rocks praying this plan would work. I winced in pain when the razor like horned end of the rock made contact with my hand, slicing my skin. "FUCK!" It hurt like my hand had been impaled by the tooth of a shark, but I ignored the bleeding and carried the weapon in my hand over to Deaky, still confined in the coated amber. "Here goes nothing!" I exclaimed and bludgeoned the devilish rock against thick plaster that kept John trapped.

"YES!" I shouted with glee as the amber shattered into a million little pieces.

Deaky inhaled, and then he screamed, his face growing pale. The same frightened look in his grey green eyes remained until he recognized me. "F-Freddie?" My poor trembling baby wrapped his arms around me and started to cry. "T-There was this monster and....and...Oh Freddie! I was so scared!"

"I know, darling, I know. But it's alright. I'm here. You're safe." I assured him, rocking him in my arms, finally feeling at ease. "You know I love you, dear, and I wouldn't rest until I got you back."

Still in a state of shock, Deaky continued to quiver in my arms. "W-Where are we?" John looked around blinking to adjust his eyes to the darkness.

"We're in the sacrificial chamber of the bloodthirsty reapers, but don't worry. I can get us out of here. Brian is waiting for us by the entrance and Roger is creating a distraction so we can get out of the nest safely." I informed him.

"Oh my God! Are Bri and Roger okay?" He cried, seemingly more with it as the minutes dragged on.

"Yes, I'm sure they're fine. Don't worry about them. We're here to save _you._ Are you alright, Deaky, my love?" I looked into those still so anxious eyes as John's shaking slowed.

"I-I...I don't know." He stammered. "I feel like I blacked out and can't account for what's happened to me since that...that monster tried to eat me. Oh man. This must have been how Brian felt when--"

"--Freddie! Deaky!" Brian emerged in the darkness, rushing toward us. "John, you're okay! This is wonderful!" As Brian got closer, I noticed a slight limp in his movement. His trousers were torn on one of the knees revealing a gash that looked just as bad as my hand.

"Brian, what happened to your knee?" Deaky asked before I could.

"Can you believe that he tripped and fell onto one of those bloody rocks?" Roger emerged from beneath a top layer curl, his tiny body covered in hair like a blanket.

"I wouldn't have tripped if you weren't distracting me by crawling around in my hair." Brian protested. "This mission really isn't going according to plan. Both of us are hurt." His eyes locked on my injured hand. "I mean the three of us are hurt, and the reapers blocked off our only exit, so we're trapped down here."

"You shouldn't have come to rescue me." Deaky sighed. "Now we're all gonna die because of me."

Why would he say something like that? I would never ever just leave him to die. I loved him too much for that. "No, darling, it wasn't because of you. I was the one who was supposed to be looking out for you. I could have prevented you from getting captured in the first place. And there has to be another way out. What kind of tunnel only has one entrance and exit? If we keep going maybe it won't lead to a dead end."

_"Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow."_

"You see, darlings, Delilah agrees with me. Not all hope is loss. We can keep going and hopefully find a way out." I insisted.

"She says there's an enchanted waterfall up ahead," Brian translated, "and if we sacrifice human blood we can each pass on to a secret land where we'll be safe...Are you sure you're not high on catnip, Delilah?"

"Wait. You speak cat? When did that happen?" John blurted.

"I'm not sure. Apparently it's a feature in my programming that I was unaware of." He said.

"Oh my God! What the hell have I done?" Deaky sulked. "Bri, I did that to you. I-I changed you. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry."

"Darling, stop blaming yourself for everything. Besides, Brian talking to cats is not a bad thing at all. In fact I'm envious." I assured him.

"B-But I further enabled your ability to emote and empathize, and since it was your refusal to eat meat that first allowed you to unlock your human side, I emphasized your feelings towards animals in particular...I didn't know that this would happen. I'm so, so sorry, Brimi. Please don't hate me for completely taking advantage of you." John was almost in tears. I had to admit the idea of rewiring somebody and changing their capacities was disturbing. But Deaky had meant well.

Brian shrugged. "I love animals. I don't see the problem. Communicating with them could come in handy like right now for example. If what Delilah is saying is true then we'll be able to escape through the waterfall."

"Y-You're not mad that I completely messed with your brain?" John asked.

"No one could ever be mad at you, Deaky, darling. You're too adorable." I told him and gave him a big kiss.

"Freddie's right, John, no one is mad at you." Brian smiled down at him. "You saved me. How could I be mad?"

"It's true." Roger said. "You saved our Brimi and you're the cutest. We had to come and rescue you even if meant risking our lives. So don't worry about it. You're worth it."

"T-Thanks..." John reached for my hand and I took it, gently squeezing it. "You're the best friends that I've ever had." He murmured.

 _"Meow meow_ _meow."_

"She says that we need to get moving." Brian said.

"You'll be okay, my love." I whispered and gave Deaky another sweet kiss. "Soon we'll be out of here." I held his hand tightly as we meandered down the dark corridor

"I love you." John whispered so sweetly that my heart completely melted. "I love you too, honey, you know I do." I assured him.

I knew my ears hadn't deceived me because eventually we came across a flowing waterfall with crystal clear water that seemed to sparkle . Despite no light coming into the chamber, the blue in the water still shimmered like a sapphire as if there was light source shining on it. Delilah came to a stop by the water. _"Meow!"_

"Really?" Brian gasped. "Um, alright." He turned to us. "So Delilah says that a human resistance group is hidden on the other side of this waterfall. They chose to stay in a reapers' nest because it was the last place the Order would expect them to reside. In order to get in, we have to use our own human blood, but the resistance will question us and our motives once we reach the other side. They vet who enters for their own safety."

_"Meow meow"_

"But cats can come and go as they please." He translated. Delilah demonstrated this by walking beneath the waterfall and then vanishing without a trace once she was completely submerged.

"Oh I hope she's okay." I gasped.

"I think since Rog and I are partly human, our blood should suffice." Brian said. He picked Roger out of his hair exposing the mini hybrid's bleeding tail. "So we're good to go. Do you want to try it, love?"

"What do we have to lose? Let's go." Roger agreed.

"Just a moment." Deaky hesitated. He reached down to touch one of the sharp rocks, but I wouldn't let that happen. "No! No! No! Darling, you are not going to hurt yourself!" I scolded. "Here!" I took my bleeding hand and smeared the blood on his cheek. "I'm sacrificing my blood for you."

"W-Will that work?" John asked skeptically.

"There's sacrificial human blood on you. Who cares if it's your own or not? I don't think it'll make a difference." I reasoned.

"I'm sure it'll be alright, John. If it doesn't work and the three of us get transported, then you can always go back and touch the rock and join us." Brian pointed out.

"Alright." Deaky agreed which was a relief to me because I couldn't stand to see him hurt. We stood beneath the waterfall hand in hand. Brian joined us beneath the rushing water holding Roger in his palm. As the water rained down on us, I realized that my outfit was getting drenched, making the fabric saggy. Oh dear! Well completing 2 out of 3 goals was good enough I suppose. I saved my Deaky and I'd be adopting Delilah.

"Roger!" Brian cried as the tiny boy disappeared from his hand. It made sense that Roger would make it before the rest of us because just a few drops and he was nearly drowning in the water. I was the next to go and I was expecting to feel something more. One moment I was holding Deaky's hand tightly as the waterfall pelted down. Then the sound of trickling waves suddenly ceased and I was no longer getting wet. I found myself lying flat on my back in fluffy, green grass. I appeared to be in a peaceful meadow.

Delilah tickled my face with her whiskers and she mewled anxiously in my ear. I laughed and reached out to stroke her soft fur. My laugh sounded...off, but I was too dazed to take it into consideration.

"You're here!" I spotted Roger perched on Delilah's back. "Thank God! Where are the others? Did Brian make it?"

I slowly sat up, about to chastise Roger for prioritizing Brian over Deaky, but before I could form the words, I came to the realization that something was definitely wrong. My hair was never this long and certainly never this light, but now it was cascading and a coppery almond color instead of the familiar deep raven. As I picked a loose strain, I nearly dropped it in shock when I noticed my fingers. My nails were no longer painted black, but that was hardly a concern compared to the skin color: milky white. What the fuck? I turned my hand over, examining it more closely. No, this wasn't my hand. My fingers weren't this long.

"Deaks? You okay?" Roger asked.

Oh good! John made it. I knew that I could get him here without making him hurt himself. I looked to my left and then to my right. Roger and I were alone apart from Delilah. "John?" Roger flew closer. "Did you hear me?" He landed on my foreign hand and looked up directly at me. He was clearly talking to me.

"Are you fucking daft, Rog? I'm not Joh--" Definitely not my voice coming out of these pipes. Holy shit! What the hell was happening? Why did I sound like Deaky?

All of a sudden, someone emerged next to me in the meadow, lying flat on his back the same position I had been in before. The man was far too familiar for comfort. Carmel skin with sharp cheekbones and dark eyes below a pair of fluffy bangs. I was having a literal out of body experience right now. "What the fuck?" I cried as I stared back into my own eyes.

"Freddie!" Roger flew from my hand onto the knee of my imposter, calling him my name. "John's in shock. Do something!"

"I-I..." My clone just stared at me with his jaw dropping. _'Please cover my teeth!'_ I thought, cringing at how much my overbite stood out with my wide open mouth.

"What is up with you two? And where the hell is Brian?" Roger cried.

As if on cue, the curly haired man was the last to appear in the meadow also laying on his back. "Brimi!" Roger zipped over to him, nuzzling his little body against his cheek giving him literal butterfly kisses. If I wasn't in the wrong body, I would've been cooing about how adorable that was. "Aww, Roggie." Brian picked him up and brought him to his lips, gently kissing his small form as he best he could.

"Fred?" Brian looked at the "other" "Deaky?" He looked at me. "Are you two alright?"

The "other" shook his head, tears in his (or rather my) eyes. "I-I'm not..." He frowned, running his tongue over my horrid teeth. Watching the "other" try to talk as me made me reconsider my new mouth. It felt so strange...smaller without the space of my extra teeth. Could I still sing? Well it probably looked much better than my normal mouth, the one that the "other" was hosting. It was surreal seeing myself like a mirror. He stared back at me with a look of incredulity.

"HALT!" A group of people in black hoodies rushing toward us armed with bows and arrows. Ahh, this was the resistance group Delilah had warned us about. It was difficult for me to think straight (although that's always a problem for me), so I couldn't exactly focus on this new threat. I wasn't me and there was someone else in my body, but the mob charging at us with bows seemed like the most important matter at the moment.

"We don't mean any harm." Brian said. "We're seeking refuge, just like you."

"Wait Good Company!" A girl's voice from the back of the crowd called. She pushed through the group to get to us. "Lower your weapons! Don't shoot them! Please! Don't hurt them!" The girl lowered her hood revealing floofy auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was very pretty and her look reminded me of Deaky, very soft features with an overall innocent appearance. Next to me, the "other" gasped and staggered back tears.

"John!" The girl squealed her eyes nearly doubling in size with shock. Her smile was so wide and sweet, it stretched from ear to ear like a cartoon character. "Oh I knew it! I knew you'd find Good Company! You're finally home!" I squirmed not expecting the stranger to hug me so tightly. "Please, lower your weapons! This is my brother! He's on our side! Please don't hurt him!" She waved her hands in the air and the others reluctantly put their bows and arrows down.

"Deaky!" John's sister beamed. "Look at you! I can't believe you're here! Mom is going to be over the moon."

"Mom's here?" At that point, I knew it was Deaky stuck in my body as he asked shyly about his mother. I felt so sorry for him having to reunite with Julie in such an awkward way. I wouldn't know how I would feel if Kash were to look at me like she didn't recognize me, but that was the look Julie gave to Deaky now as he resided in my body.

"There's a handful of us at the community. Parents who are looking for their children, maybe your mother among them."She said. "Don't worry though any friend of John's is welcomed here. These are your friends, right Deaks?"

I forgot she was addressing me. The cloaked people behind Julie were prepared to raise their weapons again. "Um yes." I felt so uneasy speaking as John but he gave me a small nod of encouragement to proceed. "These are my dear friends Brian and Roger and...um..."

"I'm his boyfriend." Deaky surprised me by coming forward. "Freddie."

If John felt comfortable coming out to his sister, then I was fine with it. I hadn't officially come out to my family but they knew I was a male stripper at a gay nightclub, so there wasn't much to hide from them anymore. I knew Kash was still alive thanks to Phoebe's insight, but my parents...

"Boyfriend?"Julie looked back and forth between me and Deaky. "Does that mean you're gay?"

I would say yes but how could I speak for John? Deaky shied from topics like sex and sexuality so he could be bi or nonconforming for all I knew. I hated bloody labels anyway. The hell with it. "It doesn't matter what I am. I'm with the person I love."

When John smiled back warmly at me, it didn't even irk me that my teeth were on full display. I was just happy that I said the right thing. "I love you too, F **—** _Darling_." After deliberately calling me darling, he giggled in the most adorable fashion. Yes, that was my Deaky in there. At least I trusted him to take care of my precious body while I was away from it. This situation was far from ideal but at least I body swapped with somebody handsome. Deaky was a work of art as far as I was concerned. Now I could stare at his beautiful face in the mirror all day long until we got this issue settled.

"You can't help who you love. As long as he's good to you, then you should get to be happy." Julie said. "I don't know if Mom will feel the same way, but I think having lost you for two years will soften her views on same sex couples. The apocalypse is the worst thing that's ever happened but as you can see Good Company is very diverse," She referenced to the group behind her of all different shades, "so I think that's help Mom overcome some of her prejudices."

"And what about Da **—** Mr. Deacon?" Deaky caught his own mistake. "John told me he wouldn't be very pleased to have a gay son."

John spoke fondly of Julie a lot. As for his parents, he loved them, but they were conservative and his father in particular held a strict interpretation of the bible. I didn't push him to tell me anymore than that because I came from a similar background although my family observed a different religion. Papa loved me dearly, but he was a stern man who I wouldn't want to cross. I assumed John's father was the same way.

"I'd rather not talk about this so publicly." Julie said apprehensively. She turned back to her supposed Good Company. "Permission to split from the group with John and his friends for a separate hunt?"

"Permission granted." A man said. "We trust you'll thoroughly interrogate them during the hunt and will bring whatever you catch back to the farm to be prepared for tonight's feast."

"Yes." Julie curtseyed and the man bowed back. Then he led the group back through the grass like a marching army troop.

"You'll get used to how we organize things around here. Soon you'll all be assigned tasks. We require that all Good Company members participate in flourishing our community." Julie explained. "Everyone with human blood is welcomed here and we have a few double agent allies from the Order. Our goal is to build our network and infiltrate the alien bases and eventually take back what's rightfully ours."

"How did you manage the magic waterfall thingy?" Roger asked.

"Oh, it's a kind of magic. Like I said, we're a human resistance organization but we have some help from non-human creatures who give us an upper hand in magic and advanced technology." She said. "Anyway, John! I'm so so thrilled to finally have you back! I've been waiting for this moment for two whole years. I've missed you so much!"

We were alone now. The Good Company wouldn't attack. Now was the best time to tell her. "I'm not J--"

"--Before we do anything, let's get you four to the bathhouse to clean your wounds and freshen up." Julie interrupted. "We're like the ancient Romans. Men and women are separated for privacy but we all bathe in the bathhouse. It's like a spa. Um Roger is it? We have a mini pool set up for hybrids undergoing the change where you can bathe. It's about the size of a sink. Don't worry. The community is accommodating to everyone so long as we all agree to be peaceful and work together."

"But I--"

"--There will be plenty of time for us to catch up later," She interrupted again, "but right now we need to make sure you and your friends are well taken care of. That means a bath, warm clothes, and food. Everything else can wait. Don't worry. You're in good hands."

As we ventured beyond the meadow, we found ourselves in a hilly farm village reminiscent of the Shire or a provincial fairytale setting. Julie spoke a mile a minute, pointing to the various farmhouses and cottages and telling us who lived there and what role they played in the community. There were farmers on horses and plowing in the fields and tending to several different kinds of crops--peppers, strawberries, zucchinis, weed etc.

"But only the elders are allowed to enjoy the harvest from the tobacco and hemp plants. All other harvests are shared equally throughout everyone in the community." Julie stated casually.

"Who are the elders? How come they're the only ones allowed to get high around here?" I wondered.

"The elders of Lord Donavon's council are the ones responsible for the magic charm that protects us, so they set the rules." Julie explained.

"Julie, is this a safe haven or a cult?" John asked bluntly.

"We're safe here, Freddie. If we follow the rules and don't unleash any dark magic, we'll be safe. The Order is the real enemy here." She said darkly.

Follow the rules and don't unleash any dark magic. In order to get here we had to sacrifice our own blood. Deaky and I broke that rule. Was our body swap the result of an unleashed dark magic? If so then Julie needed to know. I interrupted her speech on how wonderful Lord Donavon and the elder council was to tell her. "Julie, when we used our blood to cross through the waterfall, we--"

"--We'll have your wounds cleaned, John. Don't worry about it. Look, we're here!" She pointed to the lodge in front of us that was cozy like the cottages but more ornate than most of the farmhouses. The archway and rounded rooftops gave off a warming Mediterranean vibe. Inside the villa led to an outside pavilion overlooking a sunny patch of grass. There was a middle aged sleaze man with green wings and a green tail lazing in the sun. He had on a pair of sunglasses, swim trunks, and flip flops. He was lounging in a comfortable chair in front of two doors leading back inside.

"Oh hey, Julie." He greeted her with a friendly smile. "Are these new community members? Don't worry, boys. You are going to love Good Company. You've got nothing to fear. My name's Troy. I oversee the community bathhouse. Here I'll get you your very own bathrobes. You'll be given new clothes after you've cleaned up so you can be presented to the council."

"We have to be presented to the council?" John asked apprehensively.

"It'll be fine." Julie assured him. "They just want to make sure none of you are threats. Unless you've been messing around with dark magic, they won't give you any trouble. Enjoy your baths!"

"Julie wait!" Deaky called after her. "I just got you back. You can't leave!"

Julie frowned, put off by the way John was acting like himself when he looked like me. "It's fine, Freddie. I'll be right out here. I'll answer all of your questions after you've freshened up. Plus the council will give you even more information later. Before you know it, you'll be feeling at home here."

"Men's bath is this door." Troy pointed to the one on the left. He lifted his tail revealing another small door like the one that would lead to Wonderland. "You'll find the men's bath for molting hybrids in there. Hang in there, little guy. I've survived the change. Not fun at all. If there's anything I can do to help just let me know." He extended Roger a miniaturized robe and then gave each of us ours.

"Oooh. These are really soft." I admired.

"Good Company robes are known for their fluffiness." Troy replied. "Enjoy yourselves. Be sure to let the water heal your wounds."

The bathing pool looked more like a lagoon and the water seemed to carry that same shimmering magical element as the waterfall. In the center of the pool was a bubbling fountain. The air was warm, almost like a sauna. I wish the atmosphere could put me at ease, but being in somebody else's body was so uncomfortable. There were a few other men in the pool, but they were relaxing and not bothersome, just floating, some even had their eyes shut. None of them disrupted the tranquility. Brian found a private corner to remove his clothes. I knew he was self conscious, so I didn't look.

"How long are we going to do this, Freddie?" Deaky whispered. "Eventually we have to tell them."

"I know, darling. But what if I unleashed some sort of dark magic when I marked you with my blood? I don't want us to get in trouble with the council." I said in an equally hushed voice.

"But it was an accident. I'm sure they'll understand. Everyone seems so nice here." He insisted.

They almost seemed a bit too nice. I trusted Julie, and Delilah was the one who recommended we come here. So I tried my best to put my suspicion aside. "We'll figure something out, dear. For now just try to act natural."

"This _isn't_ natural!" John hissed.

"John? Fred?" Brian was already in the water and looking toward us curiously. The water covered him from the neck down. 

"We're coming, darl--Brian." I cleared my throat trying to downplay my mistake. I could always blame it on the two of us spending too much time with each other and me rubbing off on Deaky. 

"I-I feel funny undressing." John whispered. "I-It's not my body." 

"I don't care if you want to take a peek." I shrugged. "You're my boyfriend after all. You're going to see my Melina eventually." 

He turned bright pink. "Freddie!" 

"I have nothing to hide." I told him. 

"Okay, but do me a favor and keep your eyes shut when you're naked in my body. I don't know if I'm comfortable with you seeing it yet." Deaky murmured. 

His own modesty was a different story. I would honor his wishes and be a gentlemen. "I'll have my eyes shut until I'm fully covered in the water." I promised. "You have my word, darling."

"Thank you, Freddie. I-I'm not like you...w-when it comes to...sex and stuff." He stammered. 

"I understand, darling. Not everyone can be as open and confident as me. But you should know that you're very beautiful." I gestured down at what was now my body. "I love this, okay? I'll always love you and your lovely body. So please please don't think lowly of yourself when it's not true at all." With that I shut my eyes removed my clothes. As promised, I didn't open my eyes until I waded into the water and everything was properly covered. John did the same. 

"Rog is right. You two are acting weird." Brian remarked. 

"I don't know what you mean... _darling_." Deaky said. 

"I'm just wrapping my head around finding Julie again." I said, searching for a reasonable excuse. John nodded. "It's a lot of emotions at once." He said. "Or at least I'd imagine it to be." 

"Emotions can get confusing." Brian agreed and no longer questioned our strange behavior. How long could we keep this up? I wasn't sure. 


	12. Fried Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are assigned roles in Good Company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter. Not sure how I feel about it, but I'll let you be the judge. Enjoy!

_Brian's POV_

"All I'm saying is that it's strange." I whispered as I peered into the parlor again.

There was Freddie seated on the sofa in a hunched position crossing his legs uncomfortably as his eyes lazed downward at his lap as if he were willing himself to disappear. An iconic tune filled the room as John of all people sat at the piano singing his heart out. Delilah was sprawled on his lap as he crooned without a care in the world. _"...There will be an answer, let it be..."_

"I'm literally a tiny dragon right now like the real life version of Mushu from Mulan. Nothing is strange at this point." Roger stated. "What's wrong with singing Let it Be? It's a great song. Deaks should sing more often. He sounds great."

John almost never sang in public despite having a pretty voice. There was no way he'd be compelled to sit by the piano and boldly sing out loud in the middle of public parlor where anybody could walk in at any point and overhear him. It was just the four of us right now, but Roger and I were out in the hallway.

According to Julie, Good Company was accepting of hybrids like Roger. Still she advised that we try to keep him hidden until Lord Donavon assigned us our tasks. Without Lord Donavon's seal of approval allowing us to stay here, Roger could be mistaken as an agent of the Order. So while we waited in the parlor for Lord Donavon and the council to come see us, I thought it might be best to avoid any confrontations to keep Roger safe.

"Clare is worried about me." Roger announced. "Apparently she can send messages through her antennae. I'm not sure how to tell her that we're doing alright. Maybe you have a communication device built into you?"

"My knowledge on your species reads that both males and females can communicate from afar. The spikes on your tail should pick up the signal, but since you're still molting you probably won't be able to talk back to her just yet. It'll take some time for your powers to develop, but it's a good sign that you're able to hear Clare. Right now your survival rate is reading at a 90.39%." I scanned him, making sure there wasn't anything going physically wrong, but right now it seemed that the only thing that put Roger in danger was his size. Currently Roger's main concern was Clare, and I didn't blame him for that. I searched my functions before finding a chat.

"Sending permission to communicate with Clare Taylor." The words left my mouth robotically as I accessed this ability. _'Clare Taylor accepts.'_ "Hologram enabled." Wait what? Suddenly a light beamed out from my palm creating an illusion of Clare.

"Brian? Where's Roger?" When she spoke I realized it was live. Roger, who was standing on my shoulder, pushed aside my curls revealing himself. "Hi Clare! We're fine. Good Company saved us from the reapers."

"Good Company?" Clare cried. "Roger, the Order deems them a dangerous insurrection group. Those rebels want to overthrow our flourishing society and reestablish human dominance on Earth. You're lucky you're not under some sort of spell or unlocked dark magic set up in one of their booby traps."

"Hehe, booby." Roger snickered. The man I love, ladies and gentlemen!

"Bro, this serious!" Clare exclaimed. "You need to get out of their breeding ground now. Good Company wants nothing but the destruction of the Order. If they find out that Michael Taylor is your father, they will kill you."

"Roger doesn't stand for the Order like his father does. I doubt they'll kill him if we get across that message." I said.

"Yeah all the Order does is enslave humanity. Good Company wants to free us." Roger insisted. "I actually feel safer here than back at the base. They might've brainwashed you in your school, Clare, but I know you're still in there somewhere. You shouldn't want the Order to continue killing and enslaving humans."

"Okay, you have a point. Just please be careful and avoid dark magic traps. Brian, keep him out of trouble please. I'm trusting my brother's life with you." Clare left me with those chilling words before her hologram faded. I wouldn't let her down. No matter what I would stay true to my goal: love Roger and keep him safe at all costs.

"They wouldn't kill someone on their own side, right?" Roger asked apprehensively.

"I doubt it. Clare's likely been fed propaganda by the Order, but I'll protect you if we face any challenges." I vowed.

"I can take care of myself. You should've seen the way the reaper queen feared me. But I always appreciate someone who has my back." Roger tickled me with the softest peck to my cheek with his tiny lips. Soon we'd be able to share real kisses.

I turned back to the parlor to see if anything had changed with Freddie and Deaky. John had stopped singing but was still playing the piano. I wasn't familiar with the tune. Something original perhaps? "That's beautiful." Freddie purred, his eyes closed. "I'm sorry you're stuck with my stupid vocals."

"We've been through this, dear. Don't call yourself or anything about yourself stupid. Your voice is lovely and I don't mind using it at all. I wish you'd sing more often." John picked up Delilah and put her on Freddie's lap. "Here, my love, have a cat. They make everything better."

Okay something definitely wasn't right with those two. John was behaving more peculiarly than Freddie so I scanned him first. _Status: Error!_ That was unusual. I scanned Freddie and the same message appeared. _Status: Error!_

"Brian, darl--not darling--you look like you've seen a ghost! Is everything alright?" John approached me. Even the way he walked seemed out of place. Freddie was one to take confident strides like that, but not Deaky, despite having the longer legs he'd often shuffle. Meanwhile, Freddie seemed so stiff and uncomfortable as he sat on the sofa which was bizarre because having Delilah on his lap like that would usually loosen him up.

"We just found out Brian can make a Clare hologram thing and she warned us that the Good Company might kill me if they found out I'm Michael Taylor's son!" Roger cried.

"Shush, love, not so loud." I tucked my curl back over him so he wouldn't be seen as easily. I didn't want to take any risks. Until Roger was officially welcomed here by the council, I had to keep my guard up at all times to maintain his safety. For now there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with Freddie and Deaky despite how odd they were behaving. While I was concerned for my dear friends, I decided to make Roger my priority until this meeting with the council was finished. Then we could all sigh in relief and carry on.

_John's POV_

I could tell Brian was onto us. Freddie was being too...well Freddie. While I could probably pull this off because Freddie could be shy at times, I felt that I was being a little too quiet even for introverted Freddie. What could I say though? There were no words in my vocabulary that could hold up to being Freddie fucking Mercury. He was undoubtedly the love of my life, but upholding his godlike demeanor put me under pressure. I wouldn't live up to Freddie's perfection. I would just embarrass both of us. Still, staying quiet wasn't an option. I knew that.

I opened my mouth, thinking of the ideal words to speak, something Freddie would say, but nothing came to mind. Before I could manage to utter a word, another group of people dressed in black cloaks entered the room with their hoods pulled up. Thankfully, they didn't carry any weapons unlike Julie and her archer friends.

A small but lanky man stepped forward. I spotted a navy blue tail poking out from the bottom of his cloak revealing him as a sleaze. "Hello, boys! My name is Lord Donavon." He greeted us in a squeaky voice. "I am the leader of Good Company. This my council." He gestured to the hooded group behind him. "Everything that happens in our breeding ground goes through us. If you wish to join our community and fight back against the Order, you must follow our rules. Do you pledge yourself to Good Company and agree to live peacefully among us and play your proper role in our society?"

I promised my father I would never join a cult. This oath we were taking seemed awfully sinister. What activities did Lord Donavon expect us to partake in to join this supposedly peaceful society? Did we have another choice? If we rejected, he might send us right back to the reapers' nest and that was a death sentence.

"If I agree to join your club, will you not kill me?" Roger was nowhere to be found, but like the invisible man, we could still hear his voice. It was coming from Brian's hair.

"Oh dear. It appears that someone casted a spell on your hair and the dark magic brought it to life." Lord Donavon observed. "Good Company does not approve of tainted witchcraft. Unlike pure magic, it is very dangerous. We must take care of this before--"

"--No!" Roger emerged from beneath a curl and Brian facepalmed. "I'm not some dark magic spirit. I'm a hybrid. My name is Roger Taylor, but I hate the Order. I want to reclaim the Earth and disown people like my father, Michael Taylor. If you kill me, Brian will avenge my death and you'll regret it."

"Oh Rog, even when your life depends on it, you can't keep quiet!" Brian sighed. "Please sir, my boyfriend means well. We all want peace. We won't hurt you and we trust that you won't hurt us."

"Oh remarkable! You're molting!" Lord Donavon proclaimed. Roger screamed as the sleaze made a grab for him.

"Don't touch him!" Brian snapped and gasped at his own sudden hostility. Roger made himself comfortable atop Brian's curls, away from Lord Donavan's grasp.

"Rest assured, little one. You are welcomed here." Lord Donavan told Roger. "You all are worthy in the eyes of Good Company. We can find a place for all peace loving guys and gals in our society. You have nothing to fear but fear itself...along with the oppressive Order, dark magic, the reapers, spiders, killer clowns, climate change, and rabid tigers. Oh and in your case, you also have to fear dying during the molting process or getting squished. But don't worry, we'll take good care of you. We have a strict no squishing or squashing of molting hybrids policy put in place."

"I feel safer already." Roger said sarcastically.

"Wonderful!" Lord Donavan applauded. "I'm so happy that you boys are here. It's always an exciting day when new members join our ever expanding Good Company family. Now we need to assign you all to your tasks and farm homes picked out exclusively for you. I cannot guarantee you will all be in the same unit, but everyone is family in Good Company so you'll be surrounded by love and support regardless."

"No, we won't be separated." Freddie grabbed my hand. "You can't force us to part ways. I won't stand for that."

Lord Donavan frowned and his body twitched slightly but then an eerie smile replaced any semblance of disapproval. "Members in differing units are still permitted to see each other and interact but only during the mandatory recreation hours."

"I-I don't like this." I gulped, looking to the others who all shared a creeped out expression.

"Oh it's not so bad. Let's bring in the FRANK and get started." Lord Donavan clapped his hands and a cyborg marched into the room. Although smaller and less menacing than the red eyes murdering bots I had encountered, his model didn't have any human qualities. He was completely metal like the tin man and his eyes stared straight ahead without any emotion. Uh-oh!

"Friendly Robotic Alien Nanotechnology Killer." Brian identified. "Frank, do you remember when we were in our alpha stages together? We were roommates in the training facility during our trial runs. Good times!" How could a killer robot be friendly? I wasn't put at ease even though Brian seemed familiar with Frank.

"How is the creator, the one you call Father?" Frank spoke in a robotic voice. "I trust that you served him well."

"Umm, Harold's fine." Brian stated, shuddering slightly.

"Enough chit chat." Lord Donavan interrupted. "The show must go on! Frank, please scan our guests so we can get them sorted and initiated into Good Company."

Frank's scanning process was different from Brian's. A red beam of light traveled from his eye onto each of us, starting with Brian. Delilah was of course mesmerized by the trick.

"BRIAN May model 1997. Already programmed. Protect and serve Master Roger Meddows Taylor. Warning! Malfunction detected. Program overridden and rewritten by virus encrypted CPU. Protect and honor Lover Roger Meddows Taylor."

At least I wasn't completely responsible for changing my friend's thought pattern and feelings toward Roger. Brian had reprogrammed himself. I just enabled the malfunction that allowed him to do it.

"Oh dear. We can't allow a glitchy bot in our society." Lord Donavan proclaimed. "Good Company believes in loyalty. Malfunctions and viruses get in the way of that."

I panicked. "We can reprogram him. Whatever it takes. So long as we get to keep him."

"John's an engineer." Brian explained, pointing to Freddie. "He has a knack for these things. You can reset me to Lord Donavon's approved standards, right Deaks?"

"Yes I can totally reset you. How hard can it be?" Freddie laughed nervously. "I've done it before."

 _No you haven't but I have_ I thought. This was bad. If Freddie poked around in Brian's head who knows what the result would be? We could lose our friend.

"Perhaps you can be reprogrammed." Lord Donavan considered. "It would be a shame not to utilize you. Cyborgs are such loyal members of our society."

"Bri is loyal to me! Does that not count?" Roger cried.

"Permission to initiate spontaneous combustion?" Frank blurted.

"Permission denied." Lord Donavan told him. "Brian, if you choose to stay, you will be assigned to the same unit as Roger, and you will be officially assigned as his protector. No reprogramming or spontaneous combustion necessary."

Oh what a relief! I didn't want to have to worry about Brian. I had enough on my plate being Freddie.

"Thank you sir." Brian said.

Frank scanned Roger next. "Roger Meddows Taylor. Molting in progress. Best fit in transportation unit. Ideal assignment: offering get away cars when conducting missions disrupting the Order."

"Very well. Roger, when the molting process is complete, you'll be assigned to provide us with transportation and quick and easy get away when we engage in actions against the Order." Lord Donavon assigned. "This means Unit 39, the transportation and diversion unit is where you and your BRIAN will be residing."

"Do I get a fast car?" Roger asked eagerly.

"Yes, our engineers equip safe and speedy vehicles to assist you in your endeavors." He said.

"Jackpot!" The blonde squealed.

I prayed that Freddie and I would also be residing in Unit 39. I didn't want to be split up from our family, and I needed to be close to Freddie now more than ever to get my body back and put an end to this nightmare. If this went on any longer I'd be screaming in the night "let me out of this cheap B movie!".

Frank scanned me next and my heart began to race. Would he announce Freddie's name instead of mine? Would he pick up on whatever spell we were under?

"Farrokh Bulsara. Best fit in diversion unit. Ideal assignment: Distracting the Order with entertainment whilst heists commence. Warning! Dark magic detected."

I nearly fainted. What were they going to do to me? What would happen when Freddie's scan revealed the same results?

"Dark magic?" Lord Donavon gasped. "Oh dear! That is against the rules."

"Permission to initiate spontaneous combustion?" Frank requested.

"As a last resort, yes." He agreed. "Now Farrokh--"

"--Freddie." I found myself correcting him automatically the same way the real Freddie would.

"Freddie," Lord Donavon continued, "you likely unleashed this dark magic by not following the directions when entering our breeding grounds. You were supposed to sacrifice your own human blood. Not anyone else's. Good Company believes in following the rules at all times. Since you didn't follow the rules, this dark magic is your punishment. In only seven days you will have to break this spell. Otherwise I'll have no choice but to have Frank spontaneously combust you. You will have to join as one with another soul tainted by dark magic. The simplest way to do this is through sex, but cannibalism works as well."

"WHAT?" I shrieked.

"Find someone else who's cursed and either fuck him or eat him." Roger said bluntly.

"Precisely." Lord Donavon concurred.

"N-No!" This was horrifying. Obviously cannibalism was abhorrent and out of the question, but I was a virgin. I didn't want my first time to be in somebody else's body. The thought of sex made me so uncomfortable. I didn't need the added factor that I was only borrowing this body.

"That's disgusting!" Brian cried. "Is there any other way?"

"Rules are rules. Freddie has three options: sex, cannibalism, or spontaneous combustion." Lord Donavon said casually. "You have a week to make your choice. In the meantime, I'm assigning you also to Unit 39, the transportation and diversion unit. You will be tasked with creating a diversion through entertainment when necessary to allow the rebels to successfully infiltrate the Order. Also I'll be alerting Good Company members Bomi and Jer of your arrival. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see their son again."

"They're alive?" Freddie gasped. "I thought they were dead! If this is a joke I will kill you."

"Dead? Oh goodness no. Good Company faked their deaths and rescued them." He explained. "Now, let's get you scanned."

Frank scanned Freddie last, but because of the spell my information came up. "John Richard Deacon. Best fit in engineering unit. Ideal assignment: engineer. Warning! Dark magic detected."

"Both of you?" Brian didn't seem that surprised. I knew he was onto us.

"That's good. You can fuck each other. Problem solved." Roger announced.

"But I'm--I mean John's a virgin." I said. "Our first time shouldn't be forced under these conditions. Please don't make us resort to these barbaric options. Isn't there a different solution?"

"I don't like this solution," Brian spoke up, "but I just downloaded a textbook on dark magic spell breaking. It says that instead of cannibalism those cursed could seek an animal also the victim of dark magic and eat it instead of another person. I hate it when animals are hunted and eaten, but it's better than doing the unspeakable or forcing John into sex when he's not ready yet."

"Oh Brimi, you're absolutely brilliant!" Freddie applauded. "We can find a cursed cow or pig or perhaps even a chicken. Yes. I'm really in the mood for haunted fried chicken."

 _"_ However you choose to solve this problem, it must be dealt with within a week." Lord Donavonordered. "John, it would be best to assign you to the engineering unit, but I'm making a special exception and assigning you to transportation so you can work as a special engineer on vehicles. That way you can stay with your friends who are also in Unit 39. I trust you and Freddie can get this matter sorted out in time."

"We will, sir." I said. 

"Wonderful! Welcome to Good Company, boys!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please continue to be kind to one another and stay well in these troubling times 🥰🥰🥰

**Author's Note:**

> No Roger doesn't have coronavirus. His mysterious illness will be explained in time...


End file.
